YOU ARE GUILELESS IN YOUR DREAMS WOODEN POSTCARD by Jenny Holzer [RED TEXT]

Jenny Holzer16Truisms1977-1979Survival1983-1985

TruismsWhitney MuseumWhitney Independent Study ProgramRon Clark250

T

Wooden postcards featuring texts from Jenny Holzer’s Truisms (1977-1979) and Survival (1983-1985) series – 16 different phrases.

Holzer’s Truisms, comprising over 250 single-sentence declarations, were written to resemble existing aphorisms, maxims, and clichs. The series was influenced by the reading list provided by Ron Clark at the Whitney Independent Study Program, where Holzer studied in 1977. Each sentence distills difficult and contentious ideas into a seemingly straightforward statement of fact. Privileging no single viewpoint, the Truisms examine the social construction of beliefs, mores, and truths. Arranged in alphabetical order, they were first shown on anonymous street posters pasted throughout downtown Manhattan, and they have since appeared on T-shirts, hats, electronic signs, stone floors, and benches.