Jenny Holzer, AKA

3.900,00 

Jenny Holzer (American, b. 1950)

AKA, 2006

Medium: Set of five etchings, on Magnani Pescia paper (with title page, sheets loose, in original black silk-covered portfolio case)

Dimensions: 75.6 x 56.3 cm (29 3/4 x 22 1/8 in)

Edition of 40: Hand signed and numbered in pencil on one print

Condition: Very good, with the lower left hand edge of each sheet minimally bumped

In stock

AKA by Jenny Holzer is a portfolio, encompassing five etchings in a black silk-covered portfolio case. The five heavily redacted pages are drawn from the FBI’s investigative files on British author Eric Arthur Blair, aka George Orwell (1903–1950). Former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover suspected Orwell of being a Communist and regarded his literature as potential threats to the US government. In fact, the author’s novels were of a clearly anti-communist and anti-fascist nature, exposing the dehumanizing effects of social and political oppression under totalitarian regimes. With AKA, Jenny Holzer sheds light on the irony of government scrutiny of Orwell’s activities and the subsequent censorship of files relating to Orwell.

Jenny Holzer, born in 1950 in Gallipolis, Ohio, is a seminal figure in contemporary art, renowned for her text-based artworks that bridge public art projects, political activism, and an astute critique of language’s societal roles. Holzer’s art employs a variety of media, including LED signs, projections, prints, and paintings, to explore how words serve both as tools for communication and mechanisms of concealment. Her pioneering approach is rooted in a fascination with the advertising world’s command of language, driving her to deliver messages that blend seamlessly with the urban landscape yet disrupt and provoke public discourse. Central to Jenny Holzer‘s practice are her public installations, which utilize commercial and architectural spaces to display enigmatic yet pointed phrases addressing consumerism, power, and vulnerability. Artworks like “protect me from what I want” and “abuse of power comes as no surprise” exemplify her ability to distill complex ideas into accessible, resonant statements that encourage reflection and debate among a wide audience. Holzer’s choice of language as her primary medium stems from a desire to engage directly with the public, offering content that resonates beyond the traditional confines of the art world. In addition to her public projects, Holzer’s printmaking and painting ventures further showcase her commitment to examining the dynamics of language. Through these artworks, she invites audiences to critically engage with the nuances of spoken and unspoken words, highlighting the profound impact of language on perception and behavior. Jenny Holzer‘s contributions to contemporary art have been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 1990. Her extensive exhibition history spans globally renowned institutions, such as the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Barbican Centre, and Tate.

Jenny Holzer, AKA

Type

Limited Edition Print

Movement

Contemporary Art, Conceptual Art, Text-based Art, Political Art, Women Artists

Medium

Etching/Engraving

Categories: ,

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