The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden commissioned internationalled renowned artist Barbara Kruger to create a site-specific installation for one of the museum's most-visited public spaces. Opening Aug. 20, "Belief+Doubt"(2012) will fill the lower-level lobby and extend into the newly relocated museum bookstore. Approximately 6,700 square feet of surface--including walls, floor and escalator sides--will be covered in text-printed vinyl, surrounding viewers with lettering up to 12 feet high in a high-contrast color scheme of red, white and black.
"Belief+Doubt" speaks to the social relations and networks of power that define daily life. At a time when the value of certitude is taken for granted, Kruger says she is "interested in introducing doubt." Large swaths of the floor are covered in open-ended questions ("WHO IS BEYOND THE LAW? WHO IS FREE TO CHOOSE? WHO SPEAKS? WHO IS SILENT?"), while the area facing the bookstore explores desire and consumption ("YOU WANT IT. YOU BUY IT. YOU FORGET IT.").
