Jenny Holzer, Inflammatory Essays

Excerpt from Jenny Holzer’s LED sign Inflammatory Essays 3:

MONDAY, someone died because he hurt me so I cut him without thinking. TUESDAY, some animal dies because he was too dangerous to be free. WEDNESDAY, a thief died so everyone will know to respect private property. THURSDAY, some politico died because his ideas were crazy and too contagious. FRIDAY, some rapist died because he left his victim wishing she was dead. He had to die wishing he was alive. SATURDAY, I killed a condemned man so no one else would get blood on their hands. SUNDAY, I rested. MONDAY, six people jumped me so I cut them without thinking.

People must pay for what they hold, for what they steal. You have lived off the fat of the land. Now you are the pig who is ready for slaughter. You are the old enemy, the new victim. When you do something awful expect retribution in kind. Look over your shoulder. Someone is following. The poor you have robbed and ignored are impatient. Plead innocent; your squeals invite torture. Promise to be good; your lies excite and inflame. You are too depraved to reform, too treacherous to spare, too hideous for mercy. Run! Jump! Hide! Provide sport for the hunters.

Rejoice! Our times are intolerable. Take courage, for the worst is a harbinger of the best. Only dire circumstance can precipitate the overthrow of the oppressors. The old and corrupt must be laid to waste before the just can triumph. Opposition identifies and isolates the enemy. Conflict of interest must be seen for what it is. Do not support palliative gestures; they confuse the people and delay the inevitable confrontation. Delay is not tolerated for it jeopardizes the well-being of the majority. Contradiction will be heightened, the reckoning will be hastened by the staging of seed disturbances. The apocalypse will blossom.

Repressing sex urges is so bad. Poison dams up inside and then it must come out. When sex is held back too long it comes out fast and wild. It can do a lot of harm. Innocent people get shot or cut by confused sex urges. They don’t know what hit them until too late. Parents should let children express themselves so they don’t get mean early. Adults should make sure they find many outlets. All people should respond to big sex needs. Don’t make fun of individuals and send them away. It’s better to volunteer than to get forced.

Ruin your fucking self before they do. Otherwise they’ll screw you because you’re a nobody. They’ll keep you alive but you’ll have to crawl and say “thank-you” for every bone they throw. You might as well stay drunk or shoot junk and be a crazy fucker. If the rich guys want to play with you, make them get their hands dirty. Send them away gagging, or sobbing if they’re soft-hearted. You’ll be left alone if you’re frightening, and dead you’re free! You can change the radiant child in you to a reflection of the shit you were meant to serve. 

Explore the thought-provoking world of Jenny Holzer’s prints, paintings and multiples, where her iconic text-based art offers a profound commentary on society and politics. Holzer’s limited editions are not just visually striking, but also intellectually stimulating, making them a powerful statement in any contemporary art collection.