Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say

E471303

"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.

All labels observed (1)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (42)

Predicate Object
instanceOf artwork ⓘ
conceptual art work ⓘ
photographic series ⓘ
artForm contemporary art ⓘ
artisticApproach collaboration with participants ⓘ
use of text as image ⓘ
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom ⓘ
creator Gillian Wearing ⓘ
depicts ordinary people ⓘ
people holding signs ⓘ
urban passersby ⓘ
focusesOn gap between appearance and reality ⓘ
self-representation ⓘ
voice of the subject ⓘ
genre conceptual photography ⓘ
documentary-style photography ⓘ
hasPart handwritten statements on card or paper ⓘ
images of people in everyday clothing ⓘ
individual photographic portraits ⓘ
influenced later text-based photographic portraiture ⓘ
influencedBy documentary photography traditions ⓘ
language English ⓘ
mainSubject handwritten signs ⓘ
inner thoughts ⓘ
passersby ⓘ
public appearance ⓘ
medium photography ⓘ
movement Young British Artists ⓘ
notableFor blurring line between documentary and staged photography ⓘ
exploring social stereotypes ⓘ
revealing private thoughts in public space ⓘ
notableWorkOf Gillian Wearing ⓘ
period 1990s contemporary art ⓘ
technique street portraiture ⓘ
use of handwritten text ⓘ
theme authenticity ⓘ
confession ⓘ
identity ⓘ
social roles ⓘ
tension between public and private self ⓘ
usedFor critical discussions of identity in contemporary art ⓘ
teaching about representation in visual culture ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Gillian Wearing → notableWork → Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say ⓘ
Gillian Wearing → notableWork → Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say ⓘ
subject linked to: Wearing
60 Minutes Silence → relatedWorkByCreator → Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say ⓘ
Confess All On Video. Don’t Worry You Will Be in Disguise. Intrigued? Call Gillian → relatedWorkByArtist → Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say ⓘ
Trauma → relatedWork → Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say ⓘ