Jenny Holzer, Inflammatory Essays and All Fall

Jenny Holzer, Inflammatory Essays, 1979-82, lithograph on colored paper, 43.1 x 43.1 cm each (Akron Art Museum) © Jenny Holzer; Jenny Holzer, All Fall, 2012, double-sided LED signs with stainless steel housings: blue and green diodes on front, red and yellow diodes on back, 262.9 x 241.3 x 262.9 cm (Akron Art Museum) © Jenny Holzer
speakers: Wendy Earle, Curator, Akron Art Museum and Steven Zucker, Smarthistory

[@Sasha0927]

Oh wow.. I wasn't ready for that intro, Dr. Zucker. 🤭
I paused around 0:37 to do some more reading and Jenny Holzer was not messing around! The paragraph about change challenged me, but I agreed with her overall. I love her courage in making these controversial - but arguably accurate - statements and wanted to read more of them.
"Do not support palliative gestures; They confuse the people and delay the inevitable confrontation... The reckoning will be hastened by the staging of seed disturbances. The apocalypse will blossom."
I'd definitely be brave enough to read each square and see what I accept, reject, dispute, laugh at, etc. Love this piece and her LED sculpture, too! I managed to catch "jump and land with impunity," on that one, but I'd hang out on a Thursday night to see what else is there.
Fascinating stuff.

[@curiousworld7912]

This is an interesting choice for discussion. I don't know just what I think of this piece, nor claim to understand the meaning, but I find it intriguing now, and am curious to give it another look. Thank you!

[@Nostalg1a]

I think the essays are a much stronger piece, specially in their original context, makes us wonder how many other clever art pieces are out there ignored and ripped away in public spaces. All Fall is bit more lacking, it appears as vapid as the thing it is critiquing, but feels unresolved, maybe it's because of the space it's in, maybe it's because it feels like they are neon structural beams coming out of the walls, although there seems to be nothing in that direction.

[@hansspiegl8684]

As a European I want to thank you for the latest videos showing us modern US art, which I would never have seen! Great work!