An Artist Statement is a brief statement which tells us about the art.
- It’s about your art, not about you
- An explanation of your process, materials and concepts and how these inform each other to create meaning in your work
- It’s about the current direction of your work, not a history of how you got to this point
An artist statement’s purpose is to clarify and add to the viewer’s understanding of the artwork. It is normally displayed alongside the artwork in a gallery setting. However, different contexts for an artist statement can mean different things. It can be for a singular work, a full body of work or an exhibition. An artist statement is different to an artist bio which is more generally about your practice and you as an artist.
An artist statement about a singular work should be 50- 150 words maximum.
Writing an Artist Statement
Writing an artist statement means understanding your practice well. You need to know what your work is informed by and its position within the broader arts landscape.
To begin writing, sit down and reflect on your work using the following questions. Make a mind map or some dot points
- What materials did you use? Why?
- What processes and techniques did you use? Why?
- What subjects/themes do you explore? Why?
- Who or what inspired you?
- What kinds of art do you look at most?
- What movements informed your work?
- Why do you make art?
- What are the questions you are trying to answer?
- Make a list of words and phrases and connect them in a mind map illustrating how they relate to each other in your work
- Write dot points that capture the key ideas and questions in your work
Once you have a detailed mind-map and some dot points you have the building blocks to start writing about your work.
Start by writing disconnected sentences with what you have and worry about joining in them up later. Then, edit, edit, edit.
Make sure to use clear simple language. Don’t fall in a trap of relying on jargon. Write for someone who doesn’t know anything about art. Be descriptive and direct.