Jenny Holzer

JennyHolzer

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Jenny HolzerJenny Holzer was born in Gallipolis, Ohio, in 1950. She received a BA from Ohio University in Athens (1972); an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence (1977); and hon-orary doctorates from the University of Ohio (1993), the Rhode Island School of Design (2003), and New School University, New York (2005). Wheth-er questioning consumerist impulses, describing torture, or lamenting death and disease, Jenny Holzer’s use of language provokes a response in the viewer. While her subversive work of-ten blends in among advertisements in public space, its arresting content violates expectations. Holzer’s texts—such as the aphorisms “Abuse of power comes as no surprise” and “Protect me from what I want”—have appeared on posters and condoms, and as electron-ic LED signs and projections of xenon

light. Holzer’s recent use of text ranges from silk-screened paintings of declas-sified government memoranda detailing prisoner abuse to poetry and prose in a sixty-five-foot-wide wall of light in the lobby of 7 World Trade Center, New York. She has received many awards, includ-ing the Golden Lion from the Venice Bi-ennale (1990); the Skowhegan Medal (1994); and the Diploma of Chevalier (2000) from the French government. Major exhibitions include Neue Nation-algalerie, Berlin (2001); Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston (1997); Dia Art Foundation, New York (1989); and Sol-omon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (1989). Since 1996, Holzer has or-ganized public light projections in cities worldwide. She was the first woman to represent the United States in the Ven-ice Biennale (1990). Jenny Holzer lives and works in Hoosick Falls, New York.

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Truisms

A lot of professionals are

crackpots

Children are the most cruel

of all

Elaboration is a form of

pollution

Everything that’s interesting

is new

Fathers often use too

much force

Humanism is obsolete

Noise can be hostile

Ambivalence can ruin your life

Any surplus is immoral

Decency is a

relative thing

Emotional responses are

as valuable as intellectual

responses

Ensure that your life

stays in flux

Going with the flow is soothing

but risky

In some instances it’s better

to die than to continue

Random mating is good for

debunking sex myths

It’s better to be naive than

jaded

It’s important to stay clean on

all levels

Moderation kills the

spirit

Physical culture is second best

Raise boys and girls the same way

Technology will make or

break us

To disagree presupposes moral

integrity

Torture is barbaric

Your actions are pointless if no

one notices

Opacity is an irresistible

challenge

Planning for the future is

escapism

Romantic love was invented to

manipulate women

Selfishness is the most basic

motivation

It is a gift to the world not to

have babies

Looking back is the first

sign of aging and decay

Morals are for little

people

Low expectations

are good protection