Thursday, September 22, 2011

Trying to write an artist statement...

Do you ever find yourself in this same situation as the video below when trying to write your artist statement?  It's totally true-- and really its pretty funny.  Art is a language of its own, that's why it feels so arbitrary to write a statement explaining it. I mean we are taking a part of our inner selves and putting it out for people to see-- is not that enough exposure.  Do we also have to talk about the shit too.  I mean sometimes it can be TOO much.

I used to have an artist statement that read, res ipsa loquitur-- Latin meaning, the thing speaks for itself.  It may have been a little bratty-- but that's how I felt at the time.

To this day I still can't stand the artist statement.  I find it a tool for galleries to use to sell art.  But that is part of the game no?  We want to art to be sold-- so we must play accordingly.

What do you think?

Happy Thursday

S

5 comments:

  1. This is right on. When I get asked to do this it introverts me so bad some times I just don't do it.

    Why put in words what you already did. At one point I just said YES! it is fake Art and I made it. I am a fake Artist. What is strange is trhat when I do this they love it.

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  2. Gerry Stecca says: THANK YOU!
    I just attended a panel of "experts" about applications etc... in a nut shell, after 2 hours of BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH the core of the matter is that these stupid statements are more important than the art, experience and passion of the artist. No buts about it. That is it. Which confirms what I already suspected...it often happens that the "artist" who hired or knows the better writer wins. I really hope the F%% Flower photos get this guy a HUGE grant!
    BTW... lots of sites and blogs offer great advice on how to write a completely unrelated yet effective artist statement. Google it.

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  3. The Artists Statement is very important! I found that, when I was a very young as a undefined Artist, with no track record, creating and Artists Statement was tough. I had know idea what I was thinking or talking about. As a photographer then, I wanted the work to speak for it self. What is it that they say about a picture speaking a thousand words? Well that maybe true, but people will have a better understanding about the work once you began to define, talk or write about it. Through the years thinking and writing about my work has really helped me a great deal, and allows me to stay on track to fully develop the idea of what I'm really after.
    kenneth rst vick
    photographer

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  4. You are right Kenneth-- it does help the public to understand the work. Its just not my favorite thing :)

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