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Accession Number
1994.10.247.-.258
Conceived in 1979, Inflammatory Essays convey dogma, extremism, and fanaticism. An homage to the creative and destructive capacity of the manifesto, the “essays” are in fact short and standardized: 100-word paragraphs of twenty lines each, printed in the same font on colorful paper. Holzer produced a pastiche of taboo-breaking texts (unrelated to her personal convictions) in response to a variety of topical and polarizing issues of the day. In 1982, she wheat-pasted them individually in public spaces around Manhattan, where they would confront unsuspecting pedestrians who, over time, would recognize in their standardized format a larger effort. Together, Inflammatory Essays stage an ambivalent relationship to hard-edged ideology, at once showing the danger and absurdity of fanaticism but also honoring the crucial role of ideological commitment in making change happen.
Ellen Tani
Assistant Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
Additional Media
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