Construction Wall, NYC
I’d like to get to know a little about you, dear reader, so here’s my version of a Rorschach test: What response does this picture elicit? What’s more significant, the words or the format? Is this graffiti or art? Do you care who wrote it?
Portland Museum of Art, Jenny Holzer Exhibit, 2010
We now live in a world where remaining anonymous is easy – there are many outlets to express ourselves without revealing our identities. Do you demand an author take full responsibility for their words? Are there instances, perhaps in the comments section of the New York Times or some other online forum, when you don’t own up yourself?
And when we do sign our names, where do freedom of speech and personal responsibility intersect? Can we place blame for how words and messages are interpreted? We cannot deny the power of our voice.
What is truth and what is propaganda? And who among us is innocent?
Poetry by Wisława Szymborska, Projection by Jenny Holzer, 2010, Portland Museum of Art
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