As the Crow Flies/How I Miss the Avant-Garde

Upon visiting the Hirshorn Museum, I was particularly struck by Allen Ruppersberg's work "As the Crow Flies/How I Miss the Avant-Garde." The piece covers a part of two walls, and consists of vividly colorful overlapping posters. In his work, Ruppersberg explored the influence that advertisements and commercialization have had in his life, as the advertisements have changed to reflect events in his life and people he finds important. For example, one of the posters has the name, birth date and death date of a friend or lover of his. This work spoke to me, as I personally have an affinity for vintage posters from another time, as well as the collage effect that he made. I found it interesting that he superimposed personal aspects of his life on these overlapping posters, creating a vast visual and personal spectrum as his work that particularly spoke to me. I always love artists and photographers that are expressive in a way that allows for individual interpretation, and Ruppersberg's work is a perfect demonstration of that.