Inflammatory Essays

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Jenny Holzer uses text to circulate ideas in public spaces. Her works include posters, LED signs, billboards, outdoor projections and online activities. Holzer’s Inflammatory Essays were conceived in the late 1970s as multi-colored posters pasted around busy areas in New York City. Each contained 100 words across 20 lines to make clear they were part of a series. The statements are aggressive and provocative, based on the extreme positions of world leaders. Holzer intended the content of her essays to “display a spectrum of views, from far-left to far-right… I tried to show how dangerous and absurd it is to be a fanatic, but how important it is to get things done.” The artist hoped that the posters would encourage passive viewers to engage in productive action. June, 2017 , Curator Liz Carney

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