Barbara Kruger sunglasses that artfully frame the L.A. scene
A cool pair of sunglasses -- a three-way collaboration between artist Barbara Kruger, Freeway Eyewear and ForYourArt -- are now available for pre-order for December delivery.
The temples of the “L.A. Rays” sunnies, as they’re being called, bear the words: “Your gaze hits the side of my face,” text that originally appeared in a 1981 piece by Kruger (one version of the image can be found at USC’s website) in which they ran vertically down a photograph of a classical bust in profile.
By putting the phrase on the sunglasses, notes the announcement, “the wearer transforms into both a voyeur and an object; a play on themes of looking, power, and the gaze.” [Emphasis original]
We concur -- the overall effect is that instant moment of connected disconnectedness and familiar unfamiliarity that all good art has in common.
The $200 sunnies are available now for online pre-order and come in three versions; all black frames (with the words in white against a red background); a combination of tortoiseshell frames and red temples (with the words in black and white boxes); or a combination of black frames with red temple arms (as in the photo above, with the words in white letters), all $200 each.
If you ask us, when it comes to framing up the L.A. art scene in a way that’s accessible, it’s hard to think of a more appropriate symbol.
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