Light Artist Presentation – Jesse Frey

For my light artist presentation, I chose Jenny Holzer. She is a prolific artist who often uses LEDs as well as projections in her work. She typically expresses herself through display of written essays and short, meaningful sentences. Twice she has had the privilege to design a gallery for the Guggenheim in NYC. Below I included some links to her works, as well as my sources and a video of her most recent Guggenheim display.

*Truisms and Inflammatory Essays,* 1977.

Jenny’s main focus is creative display of her writings. One of her earliest works was called “Truisms and Inflammatory Essays”, which was lists of statements on politics, love, and life, that she then posted around New York City in the 1970s. These works became the basis for later ones, such as her 1989 exhibit at the Guggenheim that featured a 500ft wrap-around sign board that encased the ramp through the gallery. In her most recent Guggenheim exhibit, she also included art made out of her “Truisms” essays.

Below is a photo from Jenny’s 2018 exhibit for World AIDS day. She included deeply moving statements on everyday objects, such as the trucks pictured below, to bring awareness to the AIDS epidemic.