Jenny Holzer: Trace

A collection of Jenny Holzer’s texts, presented as layout drawings for stone benches, that trace and illuminate our complex world

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Jenny Holzer: Light Line, a reimagining of the artist’s landmark 1989 installation at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, this artist’s book will provoke and inspire. Each page features a phrase chosen by Holzer from three of her text series—Truisms, Living and Survival—in the form of drawings she has used for many years to create her iconic stone benches. All interior pages are vellum, a physical and conceptual layering that invites novel readings of Holzer’s work. This unique volume extends her practice with a material presentation of real and imagined works that weaves new connections through its pages.

Holzer harnesses the power of words to convey joy, sorrow, contemplation, rage and everything in between. Her work presents writing—both her own and that of others—in an array of mediums, including electronic signs, plaques, paintings and stonework. Starting in the 1970s with her New York City street posters, and continuing through her more recent light projections, mobile LED signs and experiments with artificial intelligence, her practice rivals ignorance and violence with humor, kindness and courage. The public dimension is integral, and the surprising sites where her work appears range from city streets to stadium scoreboards, memorials, T-shirts and condom wrappers. The thought-provoking and indelible words she chooses highlight the pressing issues of our time.