Jenny Holzer's "Under a Rock" series, created between 1986 and 1989, marks a significant shift in the artist's use of medium. While continuing with her text-based practice, Holzer began to incorporate more permanent and traditional materials such as stone.

"Under a Rock" includes texts engraved onto stone benches, which were then placed in public spaces. This offered a new way for the public to engage with her work, inviting them to sit and physically interact with the artwork.

The texts in the "Under a Rock" series often provoked a sense of discomfort, intended to disrupt the viewers' everyday routine and to provoke reflection on the deeper, often unsettling, issues being addressed. Phrases were generally longer than in her previous series and ranged from unsettling observations such as "There is a period when it is clear that you have gone wrong but you continue" to confrontational statements like "You are so complex that you do not respond to danger."

By carving her words into stone, Holzer added a level of permanence and gravity to her work. This form of presentation has historical connotations, evoking the gravitas of inscriptions and memorial plaques, which contrasted sharply with the challenging contemporary issues she explored. The use of stone also tied the works to the physical landscape, incorporating the public's interaction with her work into the fabric of the city.