About:

Jenny Holzer presents I REMEMBER Joe Brainard, a series of animations featuring selections from Joe Brainard's I Remember. The work, which debuts on World AIDS Day 2026, honors the lives of more than 120,000 New Yorkers lost to AIDS and marks the 10th anniversary of the New York City AIDS Memorial.

Set primarily in bold white text against a black background, Brainard’s recollections unfold across the screens of Times Square, from “I REMEMBER BUTTER AND SUGAR SANDWICHES” to “I REMEMBER BODY REALIZATIONS ABOUT HOW FRAGILE WE (LIFE) REALLY ARE (IS)” and other fleeting, intimate details of his early life. First published in its complete form in 1970, I Remember charts memory through honest, humorous, and observant declarations. Deeply personal yet widely relatable, Brainard’s words honor one person among the 120,000, a reminder that behind every name of someone lost to AIDS is the memory of a life both extraordinary and ordinary. Brainard, who died in 1994, left a celebrated legacy within New York City’s LGBTQ+ and artist communities. Through one artist’s memories, I REMEMBER Joe Brainard calls on New Yorkers to gather, celebrate, and joyfully acknowledge those who lost their lives to HIV/AIDS.

I REMEMBER Joe Brainard is presented as the Midnight Moment for the month of December 2026 in partnership with Times Square Arts. Times Square Arts, the public art program of the Times Square Alliance, collaborates with contemporary artists and cultural institutions to experiment and engage with one of the world's most iconic urban places. Through the Square's electronic billboards, public plazas, vacant areas and popular venues, and the Alliance's own online landscape, Times Square Arts invites leading contemporary creators to help the public see Times Square in new ways. Times Square has always been a cultural district and a place of risk, innovation, and creativity, and the arts program ensures these qualities remain central to the district's unique identity.

Midnight Moment is the world's largest and longest-running digital public art program. Presented nightly to millions of viewers each year, Midnight Moment showcases the work of contemporary artists on one of the most iconic public canvases—the electronic billboards of Times Square. Synchronized nightly from 11:57 pm to 12 am on over 92 digital displays spanning 41st to 49th Streets, this program brings public art on a monumental scale to New Yorkers and visitors from all across the globe, 364 nights a year. Presenting a new Midnight Moment each month, the program has featured the work of over 100 artists since 2012, thanks to the Times Square Advertising Coalition and its participating billboard operators.