i heart jenny holzer

my favorite part of being in london was stumbling into her inflammatory essays in the tate modern when i was about to leave. i endlessly referenced these essays in my work in college, and i think about them every other day or so, probably because i've taped them up all over my bedroom...

WHEN YOU START TO LIKE PAIN THINGS
GET INTERESTING. PAIN IS THE COMMON
RESULT OF A SUBORDINATE POSITION.
TRADITIONALLY, SUFFERING IS
UNCOMFORTABLE AND UNDESIRABLE.
PERHAPS IT IS MORE INTELLIGENT TO
CULTIVATE PAIN AS A MEANS OF
LIBERATION? IS IT POSSIBLE THAT
ENJOYMENT OF PAIN CAN BE
SUBVERSIVE? WHEN ONE DOES NOT
FEAR PAIN, ONE CANNOT BE
MANIPULATED. WHEN AROUSED BY
SUFFERING, ONE CAN CONTROL ANY
RELATIONSHIP. WHEN AGONY SEASES
TO BE A BARRIER, DEATH IS NOT
FORBIDDING. THE IMPLICATIONS ARE
MARVELOUS. PAIN IS NOT OPPRESSIVE,
BUT STRENGTHENING AND MOST
SUBLIME. IT IS NECESSARY ONLY TO
DENY THE PLEASURE-PAIN DICHOTOMY.

-Jenny Holzer