Toys “R” Us (1999)

#deterritorialistaion 

Subject matter: Buildings ,two walls, streets

Form: Two walls with the logo of“Toys "R" US, the dense and empty antenna above,and the empty streets.The grayish-white hue gives the impression of an abandoned factory.

Meaning: The artist captured a corner of the bankrupt Toys "R" US by photography, telling the loneliness and stillness of this bustling place and reflecting the reflection on the capitalist society.

 

Medium: 
Photograph

 

Form: 
The whole picture shows that the camera angle is horizontal, and almost all the lines are almost vertical or parallel. The two buildings of TOYOTA and TOYS"R"US constitute the angular perspective of the work, even making the logo "TOYS"R"US" the visual center point. In addition, the entire work uses three colors of black, white and gray in a large area, which contrasts sharply with the bright colors formed by the logo.

 

Context: 
Under the aesthetics of minimalism, the deserted streets and oxidized exterior buildings seem to indicate that this place has been established for a long time. Only the colorful logo gives people a sense of familiarity, indicating its glorious years. 

 

Meaning:
It seems to imply that due to modern development, the business industry is renewed very quickly, and brands with a long history are struggling to persist.

(Jeff: The subject is City, urban / modern development)

    -Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids, Inc, founded in 1984, operated stores in & outside of the U.S. 

    - Andreas Gursky is well known for his large-scale photographs and images that portray emblematic sites and scenes of the global economy and contemporary life (Berry, 2018) 

     https://craigberry93.medium.com/large-format-3e5e956caaba

- the photo was taken during the age of Millennials, tons of skyscrapers and model buildings were built; computer CG and digital processing techniques were invented and applied to many fields of art including photography.

 

- suburban area

- the building of TOYS R US’s factory/big-box stores

- the building of TOYOTA’s factory/big-box stores

- the cement road

 

- Cold color-based. 

- The image is full of blank and cold white, with the sign of “TOYS R US” and “TOYOTA” standing conspicuously and separately on each side of the scene. 

 

Photograph: Color coupler print face-mounted on Plexiglas

 

- although the subject matter of this photo is a modern building, the composition’s blankness gives the viewer a feeling of watching a scene of the extensive natural landscape.

- a sense of estrangement

Subject matter ：The economy prospered because of employees working late at night—— reflecting the current 996 culture.

Medium：photography，reality，and truth.

Form：Almost every cubicle is lit, and white + black becomes the dominant color.

Meaning：Mankind's excessive devotion to work and production has led to a society of labor, where all forms of life are reduced to the level of toil. Everyone has no individuality and is completely immersed in a torrent of life controlled by communal affiliations. We see prosperity, but also human tension and busyness, without the opportunity to enjoy freedom and leisure.

Subject matter:A brightly lit building ➕ staff working late at night

 

Form:The symmetrical shape of the building and the triangular structure of the red area, as well as the clear black and white divisions. These are clearly geometric and give a strong visual impression.

 

Medium:Photography

 

Meaning:The work is a true representation of the fast-paced daily life of Hong Kong. This is an inevitable trend in society, where the pace and pace of work must be accelerated in order for the economy to grow, and with this comes the tension of work and late nights. The contrast between the beautiful architecture and the weary workers in the buildings is striking.

Context - While digital photography marked technological progress, there was an attack on high art after minimalism (especially in process, body and installation art)

 

Subject matter -On the green side of the modern bridge, a few people are enjoying lunch on the grass

Form - This work tends towards painterly compositions and even narrative themes, often more akin to figurative painting or classical film in terms of raw or direct photography.

Medium - digital image  collage and montage

Meaning - In this way, even as Wall tried to redefine the "painting of modern life" in contemporary photography, he wanted to redeploy its social critique -- to expose new myths of capitalist society