Jenny Holzer: Writing & Difficulty | Art21 "Extended Play"

[Jenny Holzer: Writing & Difficulty]

I have no idea whether I'll write again.

One reason why I left it was because I tend
to write about the most ghastly subjects.

So, it's not just the difficulty in having
something turn out right—

it's the difficulty of staying with the material
long enough to complete it.

It's necessary to be emotionally engaged when
writing about these topics,

so, yes, it's exhausting at times.

It's difficult to do the research on what
happened

and what might still be happening to various
detainees;

but I don't want to whine—

it would be much harder to be a detainee.

I'll leap away from the word 'values'.

I'm afraid to talk about values these days,

because usually, any time values are invoked,

it's to dismiss—or maybe incarcerate—somebody.
[LAUGHS]

But I would like there to be less fear and
less cruelty—

I'll stand on that.

And I'd like to think I have some plain old
empathy, too.

I'm the opposite of the theater person, [LAUGHS]

because I would never be on stage!

My work might be like theater in that I hope
there's an audience.

There's a reason I'm anonymous in my work.

I like to be absolutely out of view and out
of earshot.