Artist statements are difficult to write. They are useful, however, because they can tell us something about an artist’s philosophy, state of mind, choice of medium, and outlook on the world in general.
There are many different modes and styles of writing. One type that was made popular in the 1960′s was the manifesto. Artists like Yvonne Rainer and Claes Oldenburg made history with their manifesto-type statements.
SUGGESTED STRUCTURE
If you are new to writing an artist statement, or prefer to examine a suggested structure, please try writing these three paragraphs:
Paragraph 1:
-Introduce yourself as a media artist, electronic media artist, kinetic sculptor, conceptual artist, etc.
-Define your interests, conceptually and content-wise. (MOST IMPORTANT)
-Describe how you make work, if there is a specific process you employ, discuss this generally.
-Indicate where you prefer to exhibit: galleries, public space, festivals, etc.
Paragraph 2:
-Paragraph 2 should discuss specific examples of your work and apply the general themes and content that you described in Paragraph 1 to individual cases of your creative output.
-When you bring up a recent work make sure you list the year in which it was created. (Example: “World Offset (2008) is a participatory website that allows visitors to make public carbon offsets.”
Paragraph 3:
-Discuss here how the content you described in Paragraphs 1 and 2 will fuel your future work.
-Ideally, describe a work in progress here.
OTHER HELPFUL WRITING HINTS:
1) Use active voice. “I create interactive installations.” (As opposed to passive voice: “darkSky was an interactive installation created by Tiffany Holmes.”)
2) Tight compact sentences…..avoid excessive wordiness.
3) Strive for readability…does the sentence make sense? Can a person read it aloud without having to catch their breath, etc.
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