5 Artistic Statement
First things first: While the Artistic Biography (see Part 4) is primarily about YOU, the Artistic Statement is primarily about YOUR ART.Here you have the opportunity to write about what (has) moved you to do exactly this kind of art. It is not necessary to adhere to a certain form, in theory you can just write on it. However, there are general ways to structure texts that you CAN adhere to. Especially for those of you who are not yet so confident about writing, it will help to decide on a form beforehand, then roughly write down the content for the various sections of text and at the end fill the whole thing with detailed content and beautiful words . A good text wants to be laid out, worked out and, in the end, also revised like a good picture. (Which does not apply to the Expressionists among you. 😉)
Build texts professionally
Examples of such structuring options would be:
Type 1: Classic storytelling or storytelling (> just google it) – with a beginning, main part, end – is a way of building a text and captivating readers. There are tons of guides on the Internet for this.
Type 2: Another possibility is to start from a finished work of art, first describe it, then describe the manufacturing process and finally explain your interpretation.
Type 3: You can also string together mental fragments, sketches or diary entries.
Content
There are many more options. Here you can live out your creativity. But no matter what you choose: Stick to a self-defined structure and avoid confusion.
Regardless of the form, your statement should describe your art in general and explain why you make this art and what it means to you. You can also get emotional here and you can include aspects that move you independently of the art (e.g. political or ethical nature), but which have a connection to your art. Whether you prefer to write this text in the first person or in the he / she form may vary depending on for whom or for whom you are writing this text. But it is important that you stay with yourself. Even if you are writing the text for a specific call for proposals or for a specific audience, it can be misunderstood when you tell others what to feel, think, or do.
Some artists open their statement with a quote from a famous personality. The danger lies in the fact that everyone has a different understanding of the usually short quote. So if you do this, refer to it again in your statement to relate it to your art. Also check regularly whether the quote still fits. Because my experience has shown me that an Artistic Statement can change from year to year – while the Artistic Biography actually always remains the same in terms of content and only the focus is different