On 1 November 2007, Mary Boone Gallery will open at its Fifth Avenue location an exhibition of the �Picture/Readings� works from 1978 by BARBARA KRUGER
Reflecting that era�s captivation with photography as forthright, Conceptual ideology, and feminist consciousness, the �Picture/Readings� presage the iconic photo/text works for which Kruger would become known.
In these stark early works, Kruger places a single image alongside a panel of text. The photographs, shot by Kruger in California and Florida, depict from a passer-by�s viewpoint unremarkable details � windows, corners, gables, roof overhangs � of residential architecture. The occasional intrusion of a palm or other tropical vegetation provides the only sense of place. Equally detached in its casual typewritten appearance and tone is the accompanying text: Kruger has written a narrative which recounts the incidental urgencies and activities of the buildings� imagined inhabitants. The �Picture/Readings� posit that by looking (the province of photography) richly varied internal spaces may be revealed.
