Please Change Beliefs >>
Jenny Holzer
Please Change Beliefs is an expansion upon Jenny Holzer's previous experiments
with her electronic "TRUISMS."
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||| HIAFF 3.0 | university of colorado | department of art and art history | digital arts area | in conjunction with alt-x | atlas | blurr
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[Reviews] Nothing is more public than the Internet, and for Jenny Holzer, public art is a
way of life. It is therefore no surprise that she chose to do an art piece for
the web. "Please Change Beliefs" is a "metascape", a work that comments on our
media-saturated society and its relation to art. Holzer's work has always
challenged the theories and institutions that hold art to certain definitions.
For Holzer, art and its meaning are constantly changing.
Often ironic, shocking and painfully true, Holzer's statements have decorated
billboards and video screens for 30 years. "Please Change Beliefs" is a digital
space that displays Holzer's newest "Truisms". The simple interface offers few
choices. When the site's namesake is clicked, the page turns to a list of
truisms within a small, scrolling box. Instructions below encourage the
participant to choose a truism and change it if they wish. Each newly submitted
truism is added to a list, and each submission is tallied. By documenting each
and every truism within an archive, Holzer has turned her site into a
collaborative work.
Holzer's work has always been extremely powerful. It takes a lot of guts to
make a statement and stick to it. As a public, interactive and constantly
changing space, the Internet provides Holzer with the perfect medium for this
work. The participant is seen as a fellow artist, one who can add to the
richness of each statement. "Please Change Beliefs" is constantly being
updated, making it more immediate and intense than any of Holzer's previous
projects. New data flooding in makes the site current and the sentiments of her
participants and fans are readily available.
A painting is forever static; its admirers are secure in its predictability.
The only constant for Holzer, however, is change. Since the 1970's she has been
critiquing and questioning society with her heavy truisms. Now Holzer chooses
to use the Internet, seeing that it is a world full of incomprehensible
possibilities. As an artist, Holzer looks for support and inspiration through
her participants. She is able to receive feedback immediately and the
participant is able to learn through her activism. Holzer has realized that
life, like "Please Change Beliefs", is an ongoing process.
By Kendall Pata |
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