Jenny Holzer
Truisms
Jenny Holzer's Truisms series is one of the most famous pieces by Jenny Holzer. It is a collection of more or less 300 aphorisms and slogans created by the artist based on stereotypes or commonly recognized truths. Truisms present different and inconsistent attitudes towards the individual, society, upbringing, or exercising power. Not all slogans are consistent with the artist’s views, but as she herself declares, they are worth considering. Truisms have been exhibited in many countries of the world and translated into various languages. In 1993, they premiered in Poland.
Holzer’s intention was to present short, memorable, thought-provoking statements, placed in a space where anyone, regardless of their interest in art, could read them. For the artist, the most important thing was content; the simple form was to allow eye-catching presentation in various media. In Warsaw, they were presented mainly on posters in the Centre for Contemporary Art and throughout Warsaw. They were also displayed on two large billboards at Konstytucji Square – on the façade of the MDM hotel – and at Marszałkowska Street and on the axis of the Palace of Culture and Science. Holzer texts also appeared on two electronic boards: in the main hall of the Central Railway Station and in the Bogusz department store in Złota Street. Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemprary Art also produced a series of T-shirts with selected truisms.
Jenny Holzer is a feminist and conceptual artist. She graduated from, among others, Ohio University and Rhode Island School of Design. She received many prestigious awards and distinctions including the Golden Lion at the 1990 Venice Biennale. In 2018, she was elected a member of the renowned American Academy of Arts and Letters. In her works, Holzer uses words and ideas that are most often presented within urban space. She creates large-format installations including advertising billboards and projections on buildings and other architectural structures. Her trademark are electronic boards with moving texts, displayed in LED technology.