Consumerism In Advertising

This poster is a mock advertisement designed for mass distribution. Here, Burgin takes a typical image from the mass media in which a man and a woman are displayed in a rather sensuous scene. The image mirrors the sex appeal we are used to seeing in regular advertisements, and this therefore allows the piece to blend in with the various advertisements we see daily. Both the image and text guide the viewer to a critical meaning – ultimately highlighting the media’s role in shaping our desires. The word possession relates directly to advertising and material goods we are made to want. In this respect, the work conveys the exhibition’s organizing concept of consumerism, as it asks its viewer what possession means to them. In other words, this …show more content…
It is also categorized as an all-over painting, meaning that it our eye cannot settle since the painting has no single point of emphasis. In this respect, the finished product can be viewed as an expression of Jackson Pollock’s unconscious mind. This work is featured as the last work in the exhibition, as it sums up the main opinion of the negativity of consumerism. While the work can be symbolic of Pollock’s irrational and overwhelming mind, it can similarly be viewed as a symbol of the irrationality and overwhelming nature of the growing consumerist culture. Additionally, because this work has no true beginning or end, it functions as a commentary on the continuous cycle of consumerism that has no end in sight. This is therefore symbolic of the nature of a modern society, which is always left wanting more. As a whole, Cathedral evokes an incredibly overwhelming feeling in its viewers, which relates to often overwhelming consumerist culture. Ultimately, this work exercises the exhibition’s overarching theme as it tells a story of a mind in crisis – an mind that is trying to escape the ever-powerful grasp of corporate consumerism, but can’t quite find a way