First things first: What is an artist statement?

An artist statement is a not-too-long series of sentences that describe what you make and why you make it. It’s a stand-in for you, the artist, talking to someone about your work in a way that adds to their experience of viewing that work.

The Brainstorming Phase

All that said, sitting down and writing clear, concise, and compelling sentences about your art is daunting. So don’t start with sentences. Ease your way into it with a writing exercise that feels exciting, or generative, or natural to you. A few suggestions:

Gather your art in one digital or physical space and really look at it

It’s possible you’ve been working on such a micro level you haven’t taken a macro view in a while. What commonalities and differences do you see? Think holistically about a specific body of art.

Write out a list of adjectives that describe your work

Use both visual and tonal descriptors. Be specific and avoid art jargon. If your art follows in the footsteps of minimalism, could you describe it as quiet? Or rhythmic? Is your work funny, raunchy, messy?

Think about the emotions and reactions you want your audience to come away with

An artist’s intent may have little bearing on an audience’s interpretation, but an artist statement is one of the few places you get to nudge that audience towards your desired result. Do they learn something from your art or make new connections between disparate subjects? Are you trying to make people feel agitated, joyful, incensed?

Shorter is better

Being economical with words proves you know what you’re doing, that you’re confident in your work, and that you don’t have to couch it in elaborate language to legitimise it. Your statement should be somewhere between 100 and 300 words in length. (This is an example of true range.)

Artist Statement Basics

Suddenly, you have a bunch of words describing your art. Now you get to pick the best ones to fulfil the very basic elements of an artist statement: what, why, and (possibly) how.

What

Make sure to state what medium you work in (paintings, sculptures, installation, non-narrative video, durational performance, etc.). It’s amazing how many statements don’t include that basic fact.

Why

Try not to overthink this one. Look back at your brainstorms and your casual conversations. You make this work because you’re excited about it. What, exactly, are you excited about? Be confident: Your art shouldn’t “hope” or “try” to do something to the viewer, it should just do it. Here is where you can also bring up, without going too far into the art historical weeds, your influences and inspirations.

How

If you have a truly unique process that’s important to understand—or one that images can’t accurately convey—briefly describe how you make your work. (Please note: Collage is not a unique process and there’s no inventive way to describe it as such, even if you use the word “juxtapose.”)

Beyond fulfilling these basic “what, why, and how” requirements, an artist statement can be relayed in whatever tone and sentence structure feels best to you. (I encourage the use of full sentences, as fragments sound flighty.)

That’s it! Really!

In summary…

As those who exercise say: no pain, no gain. Statements are hard to write, but they’re good for you. They can help someone gain a deeper understanding of your art, feel more connected to that art and, ultimately, value it. They can make or break an application. And they can help you put words to your practice, giving you the language to understand just what you’re doing and why it’s amazing.