Jenny Holzer: Urge and Urge and Urge
On July 29, 2020, the artist’s 70th birthday, Jenny Holzer launched URGE AND URGE AND URGE, a one-day event and limited-edition collaboration with the New York City AIDS Memorial and Avant Arte.
The sold-out edition of 25 featured handblown recycled glass jars filled with custom-printed condoms. The wrappers pair Holzer’s classic texts, like "PROTECT ME FROM WHAT I WANT", with excerpts from Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself. Holzer previously selected lines from the poem to be permanently engraved into the granite paving at the New York City AIDS Memorial in Greenwich Village.
To mark the release, Holzer’s signature black LED trucks were deployed across Brooklyn and Manhattan, including at the New York City AIDS Memorial Park in Greenwich Village, projecting text through the streets. The public activation echoed her 2018 project for the Memorial, #LightTheFight.
Proceeds from the edition directly supported the ongoing programming and preservation of the New York City AIDS Memorial.
Role: Executive Director/Producer
Date: July 29, 2020
Location: New York City AIDS Memorial, New York, NY (Mobile activation across Brooklyn and Manhattan)
Artist: Jenny Holzer
Photos: Joe Carrotta/Avant Arte⠀
