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8 April 2010

Jenny Holzer on show at Talbot Rice Gallery

In collaboration with ARTIST ROOMS on Tour, Talbot Rice Gallery at the University of Edinburgh is delighted to present the first solo show, in Scotland, of the American artist Jenny Holzer.

One of the most celebrated artists of her generation, Holzer’s work is both visually stunning and intellectually challenging. For the Talbot Rice exhibition her characteristically provocative text-based works will be shown, including paintings, posters and a signature LED display. The 2007 work, Blue Purple Tilt, will transform the historic Georgian Gallery, while a distinctive selection of paintings based on declassified US Army documents and text poster works will be displayed in the White Gallery.

Following the success of 2009, 21 museums and galleries across the UK in 2010 will be showing 25 ARTIST ROOMS exhibitions and displays from the collection created by the curator and collector, Anthony d’Offay (an alumnus of Edinburgh University), and acquired by the nation in February 2008. ARTIST ROOMS on Tour with The Art Fund supported by The Scottish Government has been devised to enable this collection held by Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland, to reach and inspire new audiences across the country, particularly young people.

Currently enjoying enthusiastic reviews for her show at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Jenny Holzer has long been recognized as one of the most influential American artists working today. In 1990 she became the first woman artist to represent America at the Venice Biennale.
 

Holzer is perhaps best-known for her Truisms (1977-79), short, powerful statements such as “Abuse of power comes as no surprise" and "Stupid people shouldn't breed" which she distributed around New York, harnessing the tools of advertising through posters, T-shirts, and ultimately on a LED display in Times Square. Blue Purple Tilt charts her development from these early Truisms and Survival series through to the anonymous declarations of the Inflamatory Essays and personal musings of Lamentations.

Since 2004 Holzer has based her work on the words of others. Two groups of paintings in the exhibition take declassified American military documents, released under the Freedom of Information Act, as source material to confront issues of censorship and the use of language in the theatre of war. The seductive formal quality of Holzer’s work draws the viewer in and demands closer inspection, where the politically charged content of hope, love, conflict and despair find powerful resonance.

The exhibition is open to the public from 27th March to 15th May 2010, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm and admission is free. Visitors can access the gallery either through the University of Edinburgh’s historic Old Quad on South Bridge, or by West College Street from Chambers Street.

To find out more information about ARTIST ROOMS on Tour please visit www.artfund.org/artistrooms. To see the full ARTIST ROOMS collection please visit www.tate.org.uk/artistrooms and www.nationalgalleries.org/artistrooms
 

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