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Art makes noise with words

by KOD Staff

Our cities are choked with words – they’re on billboards, at bus stops, in shop and restaurant windows. They fight for our attention, turning our streets into a battleground for brands. For years, artists have mimicked advertising; hijacking public spaces with words and slogans. In the eighties, Jenny Holzer took her Truism series to the streets of New York and last summer, Robert Montgomery occupied the billboards of Berlin. Both artists unveiled their word-art to a huge audience: from the culture clan to the curious pedestrian.

As we spend more and more time online, snappy word art is now a common form of communication and artists toy with this familiarity. 

Tim Noble and Sue Webster, 'Forever', 2001

Tim Noble and Sue Webster, 'Forever', 2001

Robert Indiana, 'LOVE', 1967

Robert Indiana, 'LOVE', 1967

Barbara Kruger, Installation View at L&M Gallery, 2011

Barbara Kruger, Installation View at L&M Gallery, 2011

Bob and Roberta Smith, 'Make Art Not War', 1997

Bob and Roberta Smith, 'Make Art Not War', 1997

Jenny Holzer, 'Monument', 2008

Jenny Holzer, 'Monument', 2008

Ed Ruscha, 'I Plead Insanity Because I'm Just Crazy About That Little Girl', 1976

Ed Ruscha, 'I Plead Insanity Because I'm Just Crazy About That Little Girl', 1976

Mark Titchner, 'Be Angry But Don't Stop Breathing', 2003

Mark Titchner, 'Be Angry But Don't Stop Breathing', 2003

Louise Bourgeois, 'Ode à l’oubli', 2002

Louise Bourgeois, 'Ode à l’oubli', 2002

Bruce Nauman, 'Human/Need/Desire', 1983

Bruce Nauman, 'Human/Need/Desire', 1983

Darren Coffield, 'Sex Art Money', 2013. For the exhibition 'Factual Nonsense: The Art and Death of Joshua Compston' at Paul Stolper, London

Darren Coffield, 'Sex Art Money', 2013. For the exhibition 'Factual Nonsense: The Art and Death of Joshua Compston' at Paul Stolper, London

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