Before and After Treatment
A friend and long-time supporter of The Center recently brought in a piece to update its display. The artwork, which is composed of many individual artworks— plaques with various texts by Jenny Holzer— was to be rearranged and given new framing materials. The result is a work that is more cohesive and visually pleasing.
Jenny Holzer. Via TheCut.com.
Jenny Holzer, a Neo-Conceptualist artist, is known for her text-based artworks and often works with a wide variety of media. The plaques in this particular piece, titled “Truisms,” are small panels of wood. The texts on these plaques are aphoristic sayings in black or red all-cap letters, such as “YOU ARE GUILELESS IN YOUR DREAMS,” or “PROTECT ME FROM WHAT I WANT.”
We worked with the client to determine the new arrangement for the plaques. Since it is a very intimate piece with psychologically deep sayings, we knew that each plaque would mean something different to everyone and that the order would be very important. The client was also able to collaborate on spacing between plaques, and the style of the frame and mat.
Verso Before Treatment
The plaques were first carefully removed from the original mount. This allowed our client to visually plan for the new arrangement. The client was also able to use frame and mat samples from our design room to see what combination he liked best. He chose an archival 4-ply mat with a 2-inch margin from the frame, and a 3/4-inch space between each plaque. Using these dimensions, our custom framers mounted the plaques to the mat with sturdy hinges. The spacers were added to set them back from the glass and create a shadowbox effect.
The piece was assembled with anti-reflective and UV protective Museum Glass to highlight the dimensional quality of the plaques, and then installed into a contemporary frame with closed corners and finished in Satin White. It was also backed with a strainer to support the package. Our custom framers also added an acid-free Coroplast backing board for additional protection, and attached hanging hardware to the reverse.
After Treatment
Verso After Treatment
