Examples of how images and their meanings can be transformed
The original photo captures Thích Quảng Đức, a Buddhist monk's self-immolation during the Buddhist crisis in South Vietnam (the Catholic president, Ngô Đình Diệm oppressed and persecuted Buddhists, who formed the majority of the country). Barbara Kruger's distinctive style is her composition of mass media images and texts, which the texts are not merely captions but something "manifest" themselves (The Lilith Gallery Network, n.d.). Those texts usually are ironic or questioning the original dominant reading of the images. Her goal is to grab people's (short) attention with all these contradictions to the issues she concerned (e.g. consumer culture, gender equality).
I have adopted her "classic" style of colour use (red borders and white texts) and the use of black and white imagery. "Now you hear me" is meant to be ironic (at least to some extent) that the monk was actually sitting in lotus pose serenely and did not scream or yell even he was immolating, which was in a stark contrast to the crowd on the street who were even more emotional and terrified. It also wants to amplify how much pain one needs to endure to grab media attention/coverage for getting back their basic human rights (the Pagoda has informed many U.S. reporters the day before and only a few of them showed up) (Associated Press, 2013: np).
Example 2: Design Like Shepard Fairey - The 14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people and Tibetan Government in Exile, which he established in Dharamsala when he fled to India in 1959. Although he was retired in 2011, he is still active on the global political stage (e.g. he just called on Myanmar government to aid the Rohingya minority). Therefore, I still regard him as a contemporary political figure.
He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his devotion to the liberation of Tibet and "peaceful resolution" of conflicts. In addition, he gives talks in different countries, which apart from Buddhism, he also discusses other topics like environmental issues and feminism. He generally has a good reputation worldwide (probably except China), and Shepard Fairey has actually created a print of him for his 75th birthday (Wachob, 2010: np). While Fairey aims to celebrate his holiness and address the Tibetan people, my intention is essentially the contradiction of his harmonious thoughts and the everyday struggles of Tibetan people.
It mixes different styles of Fairey's previous works. First, the rough cut out of the figure (e.g. Hope). Second, the contrasting background (e.g. Revolution Girl), which I chose a Mantra Wheel pattern of Tibetan Buddhism and sun rays for his holiness and power. Lastly, pattern(s) that "stamped" on the clothing (e.g. Trayvon Martin), I chose a photograph of a burning Tibetan exile in 2011 (original photo: Manish Swarup/AP), who was protesting the oppression of Chinese government and urging the 14th Dalai Lama to come back to Tibet, to illustrate the contradictions between the ideal "peaceful resolution" and brutal real-world situations.
