More about Artist Statements

There is nothing like reading a good article by someone who thinks as you do so, from the Guardian, here is the opening of an article about artist statements:

"Combining radical notions of performativity and the body as liminal space, my practice interrogates the theoretical limitations of altermodernism. My work, which traverses disparate realms of object-making such as painting and performance, investigates the space between metabolism and metaphysics and the aporia inherent to such a discourse." Are you impressed yet? …

Here is a link to the article.

Artist Statements

Here is a website that lists zillions of Canadian visual artists. I like to use this site as a research tool. I can use the list to visit a large number of artists websites, blogs and web pages and one of the things that just astounds me (and my students) is the number written in the third person.

Hey artists. It's not like anyone thinks someone other than you has written your statement, so why is it in the third person. Why not say "I" and "me" like a normal person and make us like you a little more easily?

Artist statements are somewhat bogus anyway. To be provocative: they are fake curatorial statements. They are self-developed statements designed to serve readers in the same way as a curator's catalogue essay serves to interpret or explain the purpose of their exhibitions.

To too great an extent, the artist statements I read seem written to satisfy the artists more than the reader. Think about who your artist statements are for!

An Artist's Post about Artist Statements

I do not know Joanne Mattera, nor do I know how it happened that I discovered her blog, but I did and I was impressed by her post on Artist Statements. Click here to get directly to the post and once there, perhaps you will find other posts by Joanne that are of interest to you.

The Ying and Yang of the Artist’s Ego

I just finished marking thirty papersby my students, most of who are mature people (I teach in the ContinuingStudies program). Their assignment was to write a short explanation of thefunction “display” plays in their residence—they were to explain why thethings displayed on the walls and shelves were there, focusing on the reasonthey were displayed, not the items themselves.

When the marking was over, itstruck me that no one had referenced the needs of anyone but themselves inaddressing the assignment. So I took a piece of paper and I wrote “me” at thetop of one column, and “viewer” on the top of the other and started to re-readthe thirty artist statement submitted earlier in the term by the same students.Under the “me” column, I put a check every time I read words such as “me,” “I,”or “my,” and under “viewer” column I put a check every time the writer/artistreverenced those of us for whom, presumably, the work was created—theirpatrons, customers and viewers. Final score: 87:2.

There were 87 self-referencesand the statistic is a dramatic illustration of one of my greatest challengesof teaching CEPD 190: Getting the consciousness and understanding of artistsout of “self” and into the minds, hearts and souls of the people who they wantto buy/see their work.

I ran an art gallery forseveral years and organized several exhibitions independently during my career.Consequently, I spent a lot of time reading cover letters, artist statements,biographies and resumes from artists seeking my cooperation. As with the recentassignments, all the text screamed: “me,” “me,” “me.” Rarely did an applicantaddress my needs or demonstrate an awareness of my needs or objectives.

The “ying” of our profession asvisual artists, is that our ego plays a fundamental role in the creationprocess; the “yang” requires that we “be” the customer and egoless to beeffective when marketing. We must be able to turn our ego off and on. Troubleoften happens, however, when we have to approach the gatekeepers of ourprofession—curators, gallery owners, and grant or residency officers. On theseoccasions we understandably become focused on ourselves because we are excited,nervous, hopeful and aware of the competitive nature of the process in which weare engaged.

But the artist who earns theinterest and respect of people in authority, is the artist who brings the otherparty into the conversation. I often cringe when I hear artists explain atlength about themselves and their art when they are asked, “What is thatabout?” It is the artist who wisely turns the question back on the questionerwho earns my admiration, asking the questioner: “What do you think it isabout?” then, you aim to sincerely find a way to praise whatever is said.

Perhaps youare more on the other end of the ego spectrum—one aspect of personality that isprevalent in the visual arts world is the absence of a healthy ego. When itcomes to being appropriately and compellingly persuasive with gatekeepers andcustomers, you will sell yourself short if you demure when self-assertion isnecessary. You must be able to be your own champion at the right time and inthe right language.

An Artist's Take on Artist Statements

Brienne, a student in one of my classes at Emily Carr University sent me a link to this post written by artist Joanne Matera. It is a fabulous short essay; it is practical and worthy of a read.

Artist Statement

What's with the surge in making fun of artist statements? Artist Charlotte Young has produced an "artist's statement" video with handy subtitles intended to poke holes into this literary form.

Whereas I recognize that scholarship in any field contains field-specific language that is often challenging for lay readers, when artists assume a highly pedantic style, I fear that it makes the reader feel unintelligent and that works against the artist and all artists. I am an advocate of comprehensible and compelling language.

Trouble with your artist statement?

Just for laughs, here is a link to a joke website that writes nonsense artist statements that poke fun at our world with affection.