This was the first piece I saw by Jenny Holzer and I just fell in love - it even inspired the tattoo on my forearm. She often uses public spaces to deliver her ideas - LED signs, billboards, large projections on buildings, posters, benches, etc.
One of her first public installation works is also some of her best know material, Truisms, which she wheat pasted around New York (and can often be found reblogged on Tumblr and sites of the like).
I think the words she chooses (either her own or words written by other that speak to her) are incredibly powerful, sometimes a bit self-indulgent, but always aiming to enlighten the viewer in one way or another.
Holzer was the first woman chosen to represent the United States in the 44th Venice Biennale, and has published several books over the years.
Recently she has returned to her first passion, abstract painting. I'm especially drawn to her Redaction Paintings, big silkscreened works covering recently declassified documents.
She has over 25 permanent displays all over the world, won many different awards and medals and is someone I turn to for inspiration on a regular basis.
You said it best in that I fell in love with these too at first site. I will admit that art work made that includes quotes, in my opinion, can be very cliche. But in Hozer's work the element of it being a public installation, not meant to be viewed in a formal setting. But perhaps more as a short glance while your passing by. I can imagine to experience might leave you walking away deep in thought. The physical experience pushes it in one way, and the scale and location pushes it in another. Because many of the installations are so clean and couple with the environment so well the photographs made of each scene where these exist serve as art pieces as well.
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