Welcome to the Art Angle, a podcast from Artnet News that delves into the places where the art world meets the real world, bringing each week’s biggest story down to earth. Join us every week for an in-depth look at what matters most in museums, the art market, and much more, with input from our own writers and editors, as well as artists, curators, and other top experts in the field.

Over the past five decades, American artist Jenny Holzer has been creating artworks on the streets, in everyday life, and in the museum that unflinchingly address politics, power, violence, vulnerability, and joy.

The New York-based artist investigates language as both content and form, working with unconventional mediums such as street signage, T-shirts, and light projections, as well as sculptures and paintings. These thought-provoking and often poetic works are extremely impactful, creating a tension between the realms of knowledge and emotion.

Last year, Holzer curated an acclaimed exhibition of the work of Louise Bourgeois at the Kunstmuseum Basel and had a long-anticipated solo show at Hauser & Wirth New York. More recently, she was celebrated as WSJ. Magazine’s 2022 Art Innovator and received Whitechapel Gallery’s prestigious 2023 Art Icon Award.

On the occasion of her current exhibition at the K21 museum in Düsseldorf, which includes many key works from different phases of her career, Artnet’s Europe editor Kate Brown caught up with Holzer, one of the foremost artists of her generation.

“JENNY HOLZER” is on view at K21 in Düsseldorf through August 6, 2023.

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