JENNY HOLZER (B. 1950)

PRESENT is consistent with Jenny Holzer’s body of work, primarily characterized by provocative text and other modes of communication used for commercial or propaganda purposes. The phrase “In a dream you saw a way to survive and you were full of joy” debuted in Holzer's Survival Series (1983-1985), which warned about the dangers of everyday living. The background of the piece is slick and black, evocative of an oil spill or the aftermath of destruction. The text emerges out of this darkness with the power of holographic colors—pointing to imaginative possibility, hope, and, of course, joy in times of trial and tribulation. Holzer’s work is ever-timely as the world resists the perils of a global pandemic through the power of the human spirit.

Jenny Holzer (b. 1950) is an American conceptual artist best known for her text-based public art projects, though working in a variety of media, including t-shirts, plaques and LED signs. Investigating how language is universally used both as a discursive tool and a mechanism of control, Holzer's work strives to defy violence and brutality through wit and empathy, expressed through the power of textual communication. Holzer has been featured in Venice Biennale, the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Jenny Holzer will donate proceeds from the auction to charity, supporting NiaTero, an organization that works in solidarity with Indigenous peoples and movements worldwide and Save the Children, a charity that is giving all children the best chance for the future they deserve.