November 2002 - Nr. 11
Goslar Honors "Word Sculptor" Jenny Holzer
TWIG - U.S. artist Jenny Holzer has been awarded the Imperial Ring (Kaiserring) of Goslar, one of the German art world’s most prestigious prizes. Holzer accepted the award during a ceremony in the Goslar (Lower Saxony) imperial palace Saturday (October 19). Dieter Ronte, director of the Art Museum of Bonn and head of the jury that selected Holzer, called the 52-year-old conceptual artist a prophet-like "sculptor of words," who uses art to stimulate public discourse.
Holzer has been testing the limits of visual art since the 1970s by displaying provocative written messages in a variety of forms, from printed T-shirts to electronic marquees. Her work has never been confined to art galleries, which are visited by only a few, noted Ronte, but emblazoned instead "in cities, on walls, in corners, in churches, in museums." Holzer’s career in the visual arts began with her "Truisms" series (1977-1983), in which she used posters, murals, neon signs and other advertising media to spread anonymous aphorisms around New York City. Laconic remarks on grand themes such as love, war, truth and power were displayed without explanation, inviting viewers to reflect on their purpose as well as their meaning. By the 1990s, Holzer had become a major figure on the international scene. Her 1999 installation for the Reichstag, the parliament building in Berlin, consisted of a narrow column with lines of electronic text trailing down it: excerpts from speeches delivered by Bundestag members from 1871 to 1992.
Goslar has been honouring major figures in contemporary art with the Kaiserring since 1975. Previous recipients include German artists Max Ernst, Joseph Beuys, Anselm Kiefer, Georg Baselitz and Rebecca Horn as well as American artists Richard Serra, Cindy Sherman and Cy Twombly. An exhibition of Holzer’s work will be on display at the Mönchehaus Museum in Goslar through January 26, 2003.
