Barbara Kruger art in the New York Times

Barbara Kruger is an artist, often of large scale works, using the graphic design approach to text and images that is common to advertising to comment on culture and consumerism ("The right has no trouble speaking their rage': artist Barbara Kruger on America in crisis," Guardian; "Resurgent Agitprop in Capital Letters," New York Times).

This ran in yesterday's editorial section, slugged as "Op-Art." It's a succinct commentary on the tension between "opening the economy" and public health and safety in the face of the pandemic.


Then again, who knew The Onion was so prescient, running this humor piece ("Man Just Buying One Of Every Cleaning Product In Case Trump Announces It’s Coronavirus Cure") on March 25th.

Throwing bottles of bleach, ammonia, and Drano into a cart at his local grocery store, area man Troy Mitchell was reportedly stocking up on one of every cleaning product he could find Wednesday in case President Donald Trump announces it is a coronavirus cure. “I got toilet bowl cleaner, carpet cleaner, Swiffer WetJet refills—you name it—just so me and my family will be ready if the president announces one of these things can treat Chinese virus,” said Mitchell, indiscriminately throwing containers of laundry detergent, Scrubbing Bubbles, grout whitener, steel wool, Febreze, Tilex mold and mildew remover, and laptop screen wipes into the cart, the contents of which rang up to $2,513.67 at checkout.