Roni Horn (born September 25, 1955, in New York City) is an American visual artist known for her work in sculpture, drawing, photography, and installation art. Her practice explores themes of identity, perception, and the fluidity of meaning, often incorporating elements of nature and doubling as a recurring motif.
Horn studied at the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA, 1975) and Yale University (MFA, 1978). Since the 1970s, she has maintained a deep connection to Iceland, which serves as a major influence in her work. Some of her most notable projects include You Are the Weather (1994–95), a photographic series investigating subtle emotional shifts, and Library of Water (2007), a permanent installation in Iceland featuring melted glacial water encased in glass columns. Her work has been exhibited in prestigious institutions worldwide, including the Whitney Museum, Tate Modern, and Centre Pompidou. She has received numerous awards, including the Joan Miró Prize in 2013. Through her multifaceted practice, Horn challenges viewers to reconsider their perceptions of identity, place, and artistic form.
Horn’s art often blurs the boundaries between mediums, emphasizing process, materiality, and viewer interaction. Her drawings, frequently composed of layered pigments and text fragments, reflect a poetic sensibility, while her sculptures, such as cast-glass columns and paired metal pieces, challenge conventional notions of permanence and stability. Language also plays a crucial role in her work, as seen in projects like Things That Happen Again and her collaborations with poet Emily Dickinson’s texts. Constantly evolving, Horn’s artistic vision continues to influence contemporary discourse on identity, environment, and the mutable nature of art.
