with every new exhibition proposal, application or opportunity, comes the need to write the supporting artist's statement...wanting to regenerate my thoughts on this art writing process, i googled how to write an artist statement and found this article and this one (a follow up), both on myartspace.com - yet another website for networking artists.if you can forgive them for the long-winded preamble (some succinct bullet points would be better) then the advice given is good. write in a style or language that is you, and remember that the statement acts as an opening into your artwork. it goes without saying that artist's statements should be reviewed and rewritten, adapted and refined.below is (admittedly) a rather verbose statement which i wrote as an introduction to my website in 2005-2006, which i adapted for various exhibitions, applications and artist websites such as saatchi, axis, etc..Jazz Green : fine artistIntroduction : at the core of my practice as a visual artist is an ongoing fascination with the structures and patterns of decay and erosion in the open landscape, the intricacies of colour in weathered surfaces and the often delicate, organic processes of gradual deterioration. I often utilise salvaged and reclaimed materials in my work, and the forensic capacity of macro photography provides me with a range of initial visual references, appropriated compositions which I view as 'found paintings'. This has instigated a sustained engagement with the techniques and processes of painting - the fundamental qualities of base materials to imbue an emotion or memory of a landscape in transition, remembered visual experiences or stimuli which I refer to as 'edgescapes'.Many of the mixed media artworks displayed here are characterised by earth colours and multi-layered, textural qualities: deliberately intricate reinventions and subtle explorations of surface and patina. They evolve into more abstracted, multi-sensory artworks when detached from their original visual source, drawing upon a more metaphorical pictorial language: as quiet, gentle, symbolic renderings on broader perceptions of abandonment, loss, transience or impermanence.back on on myartspace, i was surprised (and shocked) to come across this artist statement:
JenMarie substitutes innermost part for at the core, environment in my line - an ongoing fascination with [the structures and patterns of] decay and erosion in the open landscape, makes other minor tweaks, but decides to keep with intricacies of colo[u]r … the delicate, [organic] processes of gradual deterioration … which has instigated a sustained engagement with the [techniques] and process[es] of painting… and, ta-dah, her artist statement is complete!if more evidence were needed of blatant copying or plagiarism, this statement is on another website:
here, the art student SarahB uses similar, cut-and-copy, find-and-replace techniques, plundering a thesaurus to tweak some phrases, none of which is her own writing style.unsurprisingly, SarahB has also instigated a sustained engagement with [insert relevant subject]… and she also utilises intricacies of colour and subtle explorations of surface and patina...when [which] detach[ed] … from [its] … original visual source [context] … drawing upon [allowing access to] a more metaphorical pictorial language ... of abandonment, loss, transience or impermanence...SarahB has remixed and interwoven much of my text, a level of appropriation much in keeping with her sustained enquiry into leed's industrial and textile heritage!it is perhaps no surprise to find that both of these artists are art students(!), one American, one British.there must be many students, amateur artists and others using google to support their art critical studies, when seemingly stuck for (how to account for their) ideas, at a loss for (their own) words??...whoever said that bad artists copy, good artists steal? what Picasso referred to is artistic inspiration, as no artist can work in a void, we are inspired by what has gone before, from things around us, what we feel connected to, from our own experience, the catalyst to making something new - and the key to making it your own is in the creative mix: you and your history, what has gone before, what is happening now, what can happen next, then doing it differently.there is a phrase (or is it a proverb?) that is a kind of mantra to anyone concerned with experiential teaching and learning, it goes something like this: tell me and i forget, show me and i might remember, let me try and i will learn.. so, straight copying, be it text, images, music or other things, fails to allow that experiential journey, of taking the creative leap, making a few mistakes along the way, reworking and resolving, then taking some genuine pride in the efforts to arrive at a successful outcome..
my all new statement for salthouse 2009 (obscured)..writing this brief text was no easy task; write a short text of about 80 words, explaining in clear and simple language what your piece is about and what you have aimed to do.. i probably wrote and rewrote about five or six drafts, editing along the way to keep within the word count, re-reading some of my old statements and extracting relevant bits, swapping sentences around, deliberating between using using echoes or mirrors, texture or textural, and avoiding the word abstract..so, if i am to give any advice to an artist who has to write a new proposal or artist statement it is:1. never ever copy - it is incredibly inept (and lazy) to think one can use and pass off another's personally crafted thoughts and ideas as your own words with only minimal or no changes!2. use mindmaps, word clouds, spider diagrams, thought showers (or whatever) to put down in writing what you are interested in, inspired by, or are hoping to achieve or convey in your art..3. use a thesaurus to expand your vocabulary..4. write in the first person if possible, using language not dissimilar to what you would be comfortable using in a real life conversation, eg. if you were asked at a private view to describe your art to an interested lay-person..it is with some irony, that as i began to write this blog, a programme came up on Radio 4 mentioning the Lyre bird - which mimics all manner of forest sounds from other birds to chainsaws.. a little bit funny, and a little bit clever - well, for a bird. view a BBC clip of it on youtube..but, back to plagiarism; it's not very funny and it's definitely not very clever..
how to be a contemporary artist
Before you make or do any art, you must think alot about stuff... and perhaps read some books by notable philosophers such as Baudrillard, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Bataille, Heidegger, Foucault... These writers will change your view of the world. It will not be enough to say I am inspired by... or want to encapsulate so-and-so quality...It is much more academic to explore themes such as the human condition, communication, personal identity, gender, society, religion, politics, culture, technology, science and nature, the planet, the universe. Your perceived or intended audience is always paramount - to whom are you communicating and why? You will need to challenge accepted notions or perceptions of seemingly ordinary happenings or mundane objects for it to be received as high art. For instance, to create art within an architectural space, you could reinvent or redefine it using a range of non-traditional media, such as video projections, suspended objects, sound, anything which alters or distorts reality and brings into question the relevance of past, present or future events.Artworks which are time-based, either through a series of moving images or performance-related or re-enacted (preferably through a willing public engagement) are good visitor attractors. Deconstructing, recycling or simply re-siting found objects is also a very good idea as the physical, tactile quality of materials reflect a sense of the cultural or historical perspective you wish to convey.Light, ambient sound, layers of transparency or the invisibility of materials will project ideas of fragility, stillness or transience, and can also draw attention to the surrounding space (the context). Solid-type objects act as deliberate obstructions or interventions within the enclosed space, instigating a much-needed critical debate between the viewer(s), the artist's intentions and the physical artwork, which is a core principle in site-specific, installation art. However, absurd juxtaposition, overblown kitsch, horror and vulgarity should be used with the utmost care; if it's not Duchampian, Koonsish, or made by a couple (same or other), then it's quite likely to be viewed as art for art's sake, simply masquerading as risque, thought-provoking art.A supporting artist statement for your work acts as a press release, editorial and exhibition review material for the (sometimes lazy) art media, so use communicative, dynamic words such as: subvert, intervene, integrate, interrogate, challenge, alter, extend, locate, dislocate, unauthorised, re-enacted, absence, presence, liminality, boundaries, thematic, critical, enquiry, investigation, systems. Highlighting historical references are very good for contextualising your ideas and authenticating the overall purpose of the work.The use of graphical maps, charts, diagrams, linked events, repetitive processes or controlled systems of making, taxonomies, collections or categorisations are all very good methods and strategies to give a deeper sense of narrative (and deep meaning) in the artworks. You could also refer to the work of other respected artists, key thinkers or writers, but only back this up with a quote if it acts as the starting point or departure for your own work - you do not want to be narrowly defined by their work, unless appropriation is a key aspect of your practice.Your current strategy or approach to your work (art) defines your artistic practice, so always begin an artist's statement by stating this body/collection/series of work questions assumptions, highlights differences, challenges preconceptions, etc. Other words to convey an element of astute professionalism in your art/work include: engagement, debate, transfer, examine, authorship, ownership, relationship, establishment, globalisation, issues, quasi, methodology, schema, phenomenological.Paid projects are sometimes referred to as artist commissions, whether for permanent public display or a private gallery space. Unpaid or unfunded series of works could be process or concept-based and this can usefully be referred to as thematic research and development, so include it in your resume for any future artist funding proposals, international art competitions, conventions, symposia, events or exhibition submissions.So, to summarise; identify an interesting context, location or past event in which to develop or produce your artwork - this could be in response to a call for interest in a public art commission, a themed exhibition or an application to a major funding organisation such as the Arts Council. Research the history and culture of the location or event. Find and make new connections between that event and your own history or life experiences. Perhaps combine some ready-made or unconventional materials in your proposed artwork to convey a particular perspective or message - this need not be the answer or the resolution of an idea as art is much more tantalising to its audience when it subtly questions things or contains some deliberate ambiguity.It will be important to build a network of associated technical specialists in which to call upon to make the actual artwork - after all, you are not a qualified or experienced cinematographer, electrician, architect or engineer (yet). Acknowledge that the artwork will have to be validated by some form of public response or engagement. Perhaps make it with many miniscule or moving parts or construct it incredibly large in scale and site it somewhere quite desolate but potentially open to the public and arts media, as anything that fits snugly in an A4 envelope or the back of a volvo estate will only be seen as sold-out commercial art, of little interest to serious commentators, critics or curators of art.Lastly, if you can do all of the above within a practice-based PhD, then you're really cooking on creative gas!...P.s. Of course, this has been a gentle satire on the making of contemporary art, but much of it actually holds true. Artists should not be just defined by their chosen method of work (so, an artist likes to use paint, the vehicle of painting is vacuous without a purpose). The reason to make work is what defines and shapes artists, who we are and how we see things - agents of change perhaps not, but artists should seek to continually explore ideas both within and beyond the immediate context in which they live and work. Materials or processes are chosen as the most appropriate concrete, visual language in which to realise the original intentions...This thesis is still a work in progress, I am still learning....