What is an Artist Statement?
An artist statement is a short text that explains your creative work in your own words. Think of it as a bridge between you and your audience—a way to share the context, intentions, and ideas behind what you create. Your artist statement helps others understand your work and provides a meaningful way to engage and connect with viewers, readers, or listeners.
Imagine your artist statement as something that could represent you when you’re not physically present to explain your work. Whether it’s displayed alongside your art in a gallery, included in a grant application, or featured on your website, your statement speaks on your behalf.
What Should Your Artist Statement Include?
Your artist statement is a written description that gives your audience deeper insight into your artwork. It’s a space to share what matters most to you about your creative practice. This might include:
- A particular story or experience that inspired the work
- The symbolism or meaning you attribute to specific materials or techniques
- The themes, questions, or issues you’re exploring
- Your creative process or approach
- What you hope viewers will experience or consider
There’s no single formula—your statement should reflect whatever is most important to you and your work.
Your Statement Will Evolve
Remember that your artist statement will change over time as you evolve your creative practice. As you develop new bodies of work, explore different ideas, or shift your focus, your statement will need to shift too. You’ll write it more than once—and that’s not only normal, it’s necessary.
You’ll also find that you need different types of statements for different purposes. A statement for a gallery exhibition might differ from one for a residency application or your portfolio website. Each context may call for different emphases, lengths, or tones. you will need to write many artists statements for different uses.
The key is to remain authentic to your voice and true to your work, while adapting to meet the needs of each situation.
Tips:
- Write a strong, compelling statement that connects the viewer to your work using language that your audience will understand (no jargon).
- Use active verbs and write in the present tense.
- You can write in the first person if you’d like to but also the third if it suits you better.
- Open with a strong first sentence and keep sentences short.
- Focus on topics that may not be apparent from viewing your work.
- Avoid using ‘artspeak’, pretentious language, hyperbole (e.g. ‘this work is ground-breaking’) or art jargon.
- Keep it up to date.
Great online resources and more information:
Artist statement – Learning Lab – RMIT University
Factsheet_Artist_statement – NAVA
How to Write an Artist Statement – Flying Arts Alliance
This resource has been adapted from information generously provided by Creative Ballarat and through a workshop delivered by Amelia Wallin, Senior Curator, LaTrobe Institute for RAV in Residence in October 2025.