Jenny HolzerFeminist American Literary Artist

Born July 29th, 1950

In college, she aspired to be an abstract painter at Rhode Island Institute.

For more than thirty years, Jenny Holzer has presented her astringent ideas, arguments, and sorrows in public places and international exhibitions, including 7 World Trade Center, the Reichstag, the Venice Biennale, the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Biography

Holzer copied diagrams from textbooks and found herself drawn to the captions beneath the images. Holzer liked the “neutral, factual and anonymous” nature of the text and this inspired her change from painting to text work, which has been present in all of her works made since this time.

Holzer moved to New York in the late 1970’s. The urban landscape, in particular the bombardment of text displayed on billboards, lights and advertising inspired her to add her own text (“truisms”) to this landscape.

Beginning by sticking small posters with text onto walls and windows in lower Manhattan, her work developed and she began making work with text displayed on mugs, golf balls, bumper stickers, t-shirts and other objects.

Eventually projecting text through light onto buildings, rivers and oceans.

Concepts, Themes & Influences

Holzer’s change from more traditional methods of art making was also inspired by conceptual artists such as Joseph Kosuth who believed art should be a rejection of formalism and rather a continuation of philosophy.

Holzer also drew influence from her experience as a student at the Whitney Museum of American Art, where she felt painting was discouraged.

Her instructor Ron Clarke encouraged her to read about a variety of theorists and artists including Bertolt Brecht to Jaques Derrida. Weekly guest speakers included such conceptual artists as Vito Acconci, Dan Graham and Alice Neel.

Concepts, Themes and Influences

Joseph Kosuth One and eight - a description (1965).

These directly inspired her “Truisms” series. Holzer is influenced by political issues in many of her works.

Concepts, Themes and Influences

Works such as ‘Lustmord’ comment on the treatment of female victims of war during the war in former Yugoslavia

and her ‘Redaction prints’ in which she uses US army documents containing information about the mistreatment of Afghan and Iraqi civilians at the hands of American soldiers.

Her medium, whether formulated as a T-shirt, as a plaque, or as an LED sign, is writing, and the public dimension is integral to the delivery of her work. Starting in the 1970s with the New York City posters, and up to her recent light projections on landscape and architecture, her practice has rivaled ignorance and violence with humor, kindness, and moral courage.

Holzer’s text works often address difficult subjects such as injustice, political and sexual violence, death, grief and rage. As well as exploring these broad and political themes her works also express the intimate and personal.

Protect me from what I want (1985-86)

Protect me from what I want by Jenny Holzer, (1985-86). Electronic LED sign, Spectacular board, Times Square, New York. Holzer originally created her own statements, but has altered this style in the past

decade, borrowing text from poets, politicians, and anonymous people of state security forces. Holzer has presented these text works using light projection, carved words into marble benches and seats, written in red ink and blood onto flesh, and printed words onto objects and clothing.

Another one of Holzer’s powerful series is called Lustmord which means sexual murder involving rape in German. This piece is dedicated to raising awareness on the tragedy of rape following the war on what was Yugoslavia. The series first appeared as ink on skin in the Sudeutsches Zeitung Magazin gallery in Germany in 1993-1994. The texts are written on the skin of female volunteers and have either the viewpoint of the perpetrator of the rape, the victim or the observer and cropped into a square image.

Lustmord (1993)

I am awake in the place where women die, part of the Lustmord series by Jenny Holzer (1993). Ink on flesh, documented by photograph.

“The writings on the skin opens up the incongruity between the rape as a traumatic act and its symbolic inscription. The inscriptions remain detached from the body; they are messages that can never convey the trauma of the act itself” (Reckitt & Phelan 2001). The viewer must take on the role of decider between which viewpoint they are reading the text in making them in some way feel as though they are embodying the text. This forces the viewer into the shoes of the person they are reading about thereby holding the viewer responsible for what has almost become a norm in our society.

Art Practice

I am awake in the place where women die, part of the Lustmord series by Jenny Holzer (1993). Ink on flesh, documented by photograph.

You may read the text of this image at the bottom of the website, in your own time if you wish.

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/contemporary/Jenny-Holzer.html

A section of the skin writing pieces from the Lustmord series by Jenny Holzer (1993). Ink on flesh, documented by photograph.

Click to view a YouTube video which explores Holzer’s practice and investigate her thoughts on her works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y74WGcc084M

Homework: Write your own Truism.

Education Kit:

https://www.accaonline.org.au/sites/default/files/JENNYHOLZEREDKIT.pdf

Artist Interview