American artist Jenny Holzer (b.1950) harnesses the power of language in her provocative text-based installations and sculptures that address consumerism, conflict and the misuse of power. She gained recognition in the 1970s with ‘Truisms’ (1977-87), a series of aphorisms derived from literature and philosophy that were pasted as posters around the streets of New York. Articulating multiple viewpoints, their matter-of-fact statements include ‘ABUSE OF POWER SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE.’ The artist’s texts have since lit up electronic billboards, been engraved on marble benches and projected directly onto buildings worldwide. The floor-to-ceiling column Blue Tower is embedded with LED displays relaying texts from four of Holzer’s early series. In addition to ‘Truisms’ are her impassioned ‘Inflammatory Essays’(1979–82) inspired by political, artistic and religious manifestos; ‘Living’ (1980-1982), which comprises short, imperative instructions; and ‘Survival’ (1983-1985), created against a backdrop of political unrest and the threat of nuclear war.