Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say
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"Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say" is a photographic series by British artist Gillian Wearing in which passersby hold handwritten signs revealing their private thoughts, exposing the gap between public appearance and inner life.
Statements (42)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
artwork
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conceptual art work ⓘ photographic series ⓘ |
| artForm | contemporary art ⓘ |
| artisticApproach |
collaboration with participants
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use of text as image ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| creator | Gillian Wearing NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| depicts |
ordinary people
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people holding signs ⓘ urban passersby ⓘ |
| focusesOn |
gap between appearance and reality
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self-representation ⓘ voice of the subject ⓘ |
| genre |
conceptual photography
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documentary-style photography ⓘ |
| hasPart |
handwritten statements on card or paper
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images of people in everyday clothing ⓘ individual photographic portraits ⓘ |
| influenced | later text-based photographic portraiture ⓘ |
| influencedBy | documentary photography traditions ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| mainSubject |
handwritten signs
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inner thoughts ⓘ passersby ⓘ public appearance ⓘ |
| medium | photography ⓘ |
| movement | Young British Artists NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableFor |
blurring line between documentary and staged photography
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exploring social stereotypes ⓘ revealing private thoughts in public space ⓘ |
| notableWorkOf | Gillian Wearing NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| period | 1990s contemporary art ⓘ |
| technique |
street portraiture
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use of handwritten text ⓘ |
| theme |
authenticity
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confession ⓘ identity ⓘ social roles ⓘ tension between public and private self ⓘ |
| usedFor |
critical discussions of identity in contemporary art
ⓘ
teaching about representation in visual culture ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
Gillian Wearing
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notableWork
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Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say
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