Projections

In 1996, Jenny Holzer introduced her first outdoor light projection on the bank of Florence’s Arno river, covering the facade of a waterside brothel with phrases like “I SMELL YOU ON MY SKIN” and “I SAY YOUR NAME.” In the decades since, Holzer has projected her arsenal of powerful slogans—many of them from her “Truisms” series—onto cultural landmarks around the globe, including the Spanish Steps in Rome (1998), the Musée du Louvre in Paris (2001), and the New York Public Library (2005). “I like placing content wherever people look, and that can be at the bottom of a cup or on a shirt or hat or on the surface of a river or all over a building,” Holzer has said about her desire to activate public spaces with art. While Holzer’s outdoor projections might only last a few days, the artist preserves her installations with limited edition photographs, inviting collectors to activate their homes with her impactful slogans as well.