About Jenny Holzer
Jenny Holzer (b. 1950, Gallipolis, Ohio) is one of the most influential contemporary artists working with language, internationally renowned for text-based artworks that confront power, violence, sexuality, and social justice with unflinching directness. Since the late 1970s, she has transformed public and institutional spaces through provocative statements that challenge viewers to engage with urgent political and personal truths.
Holzer's practice began with her iconic Truisms (1977–79), a series of one-line statements printed on posters and wheat-pasted anonymously throughout New York City. These aphoristic texts – ranging from the banal to the profound – questioned authority, ideology, and received wisdom. This approach expanded into LED signs, stone benches, projections, and prints, bringing language into dialogue with architecture, technology, and public space.
Her artworks employ a wide range of media and formats, from electronic LED displays and large-scale projections to carved stone benches and limited edition prints. Series such as Inflammatory Essays, Living, Survival, and Lustmord explore themes of war, trauma, feminism, and human rights, often incorporating declassified government documents and testimonies. This approach creates a tension between the clinical presentation of text and the emotional weight of its content.
In addition to her public installations and projections, Jenny Holzer has produced an extensive body of limited edition prints, photographs, and multiples that remain highly sought after by collectors worldwide. These signed editions translate her powerful use of language into collectible artworks, offering accessible entry points into her politically engaged practice.
