How to write an artist statement and biography?

Of course, the saying ‘A picture says more than a thousand words’ applies to artworks as well, but having an artist statement that explains your overall intentions, thoughts, feelings, and goals for the art you create can be useful in guiding the observer purposefully into the direction your artworks are showing and making your thoughts behind them clear, by avoiding confusion or misinterpretation.

Every observer of art will look at an artwork through their own prism and see things and purposes in it that you may not have even realized you created, and it may not align with your intentions, but this is precisely the beauty of art: an artwork may be created with a specific intention, but each observer sees their own version of the artwork, through which they get to know themselves better.

As a result, the artist statement is an effective tool for you to demonstrate your personal perspective on your art and production process, allowing the spectator to better understand you and your inner world.

An artist statement should be between 150 and 200 words long, not so long that the reader stops reading but long enough to explain the core of your creations and yourself as an artist. An artist statement should be written in the first person (I did this…), as if you were speaking directly to the spectator and explaining your point of view.

Make sure your terminology is not overly complex, and write it in simple, straightforward, and accessible language so that the reader is not confused and can easily connect with you and get to know you better.

For non-English speakers, try writing your message in your mother tongue first, then translating it into English. This will allow you to write more freely about your work and ideas without having to look for the right words first.

The artist statement might include:

• Information on the materials you use
• Painting techniques
• Your philosophy behind your artworks
• Whether you focus on one style or experiment
• What inspired you to creating your art
• The message and intentions you want to convey

So basically the most crucial questions your artist statement should answer in an easy to understand way are:

• What do you do?
• How do you do it?
• And why do you do it?

Choose the ones that are most essential to your artworks and aims, and define what makes your art unique.

Remember that an artist statement is not your résumé or biography.

Writing an artist statement that is not specific to one piece of art but rather a description of your general creative work and philosophy may be more concerned with explaining why you did it than with discussing how you created it. If the materials you use and the technique you use to create them are closely related to the concept behind your artworks, you can convey that link to the reader.

Describing why the art you create is unique and one-of-a-kind can be tough at first since many artists undervalue their work and underestimate the impact it can have on a person’s life and even the entire art business.

Artists express their soul, their point of view, how they see the world, and certain topics and situations through their artworks. Putting this into words can be difficult, but the best method is to simply begin.

Take a blank page, or even paper and a pen, and simply write about yourself, your ideas and intentions, what you create, and why. You don’t even have to write full sentences; just start, ignore mistakes or punctuation, and by the end, filter out the essence, the most important information you want to use, and put it into a clear and understandable text.

Check for any spelling and punctuation issues, and consider paraphrasing certain sentences. There are numerous free tools available on the internet that can help you make your words correct, readable, and appealing.

After reading your artist statement, a complete stranger should understand your mission, motives, inspirations, processes, and the core of your artistry and creations.

The artist biography describes your life journey, including how you got started, where you studied, what diploma you have, or how you educated yourself and self-taught. People follow different paths to becoming artists. The biography may add accomplishments to the list, but it remains rather stable, whereas your artist statement may vary over your artistic life.

It is crucial that you have the confidence to display your artwork, be daring, create, and go without hesitation.