The Tate artist rooms sees works old and new from Jenny Holzer and some never before seen fill the latest artist room at the Tate Modern. Holzer uses forcefully simple statements, bright LED lights and much more in this exhibition to grab the attention of a wide range of audiences.
Significant and rarely seen works are displayed in this exhibition such as truisms and lament. her perhaps most notable work truisms is the work we are first greeted by and sets the tone for the exhibition it creates a nostalgia for Holzer’s work yet sets the audience up for contrast and comparison between her newer works such as blue purple tilt a 2017 work which uses text with the addition of LED lights. There are many works that can be compared and many that stand alone and speak for themselves.
The exhibition follows no theme but provides an insight into many of Holzer’s works and creates a timeline of various works from different stages of her life. Her work, often seen on billboards, t-shirts and public spaces invites us in the gallery space to interpret further what is being said and leaves the imagination up to imagining which contexts they could be applied to or drawn from.
While being semi retrospective, the exhibition also encompasses current and topical issues through the they left me piece which tackles issues of the refugee crisis and bring this into the gallery space allows people to not only address the issue but ponder on it for a period of time. Overall, this exhibition emphasises Holzer’s deep political truths and provides for a very thought provoking experience for everyone young or old as the bold ballsy statements are left up to your interpretation.
