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CONQUERING THE DREADED ARTIST STATEMENT: EXPERT ADVICE FOR WRITING ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
Artist statements are dreaded and mocked by critics, curators and even artists themselves for their overwrought, specialized and often predictable language.
"There is a stultifying, eyeball-rolling, headache-inducing norm out there," says John Pilson, a photographer, video artist and professor at Yale School of Art.
While many artists would rather skip the statements altogether, writing is "an important part of the art-making process," says photographer Ron Jude, who teaches at University of Oregon. Jude says he urges his students to think of the statement not as homework, but as "something that has a useful purpose in the world." Artists are "asked to write these things constantly" for grant and fellowship applications, for exhibitions, book releases and as part of earning a degree. Statements help artists "have a hand" in how people talk and think about their work. Also, Jude adds, "When I'm in the middle of a project, I tend to try to sit down and write something about it, because it actually helps me clarify my own ideas about what it is and that helps me move forward with the project." Jude says writing about his work also prepares him speak about it in interviews. "The last thing you want to do is sound like an idiot" in an interview that will live on the internet for the foreseeable future, Jude says.
"Nine times out of ten, your goal is just to not screw it up, not to embarrass yourself and not to say anything that you can't live with," Pilson agrees.
To help readers write better artist statements, PDN asked a curator and four photographers who also teach what makes a good statement. Here's what they told us.
EXPLAIN WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DO
Clare Benson, a photographer who taught at Arizona State University says the best statements put the work in context but don't force an interpretation on the viewer. "There's a nice balance of not explaining too much but giving enough information," she says. "Also, something that I've found in the best artist statements that I've seen is that they have some personality to them-the tone fits really well with the work that they're describing."
Endia Beal, a...