When you sit down to write or revise your artist statement, it’s firstly important to understand the objective of the exercise. People who read it may include gallery directors, potential clients and journalists. Your goal is to give them some frameworks around your work with which they can better view and understand it.
Especially in the case of a reviewer, who you might never have the opportunity to meet, this is your chance to help them understand your work from a more educated perspective.
You are lending clues to the viewer. You aren’t telling them what to see or how to feel, but you’re setting them up to catch the larger meaning of your work.
Your artist’s statement can be a moving testament to your creativity and your integrity. I advise artists to stay away from meaningless, flowery and sentimental language and instead think about conveying the simple truth of what you do.
Be the author of your statement the way you are the author of your artwork, but be as professional as you can and save the extra flair for your visual art. Keep the statement to roughly three paragraphs and always use first-person present tense. Remember that a statement is different than a bio, which is more formal and should include information related to your education, training and shows.
Throughout your life, your statement will grow and change. When you hear ideas and phrases that mean something to you, write them down. Perhaps over time these words and ideas will weave into your statement.
