What is an Artist's Statement

Artist's Statements are, in short, the what and the why that drives an artist to make what the artist makes. I don't have one. Mostly artist statements are bullshit. Sometimes they are not. I don't have one because I don't have the "big idea" yet. If I wrote one now, it would be bullshit. The idea for this article came from an art call from Rhode Island. It sounds like the panel couldn't agree on what they wanted so they included everything, which creates contradictions, so the person who wins that job, will have to bullshit his or her way around the contradictions. Or have connections, or both; bullshit and connections. And talent, yes.

Let me show you the contradictions in the art call, in italics and bold, their own words: 
The work should help deepen student thinking, perhaps with a concept that addresses the overlap of the sciences, and their relationship to the human.  My thoughts, in red: Which human? Just thought it funny the experts can't write a correct sentence.

“Chemistry is the central science", and by extension, all of the subjects studied within the North Science District are derivative. This inter-disciplinary aspect should be considered in artists' proposals.  Remember the overlapping of the sciences, but put chemistry first. And they are repeating themselves with "overlap of sciences" and "inter-disciplinary aspect."

The panel is seeking an aesthetic and intellectual work of art that is not simply decorative or figurative. Ok . . ., deepen student thinking, overlapping of science and relationship to some non-specific human, chemistry is first, and don't make it too decorative or figurative.

The work should reflect and enhance a sense of place. It should “make mimetic reference to the activity that’s occurring in this zone”, as one panelist said. Mimic activity without much figurative work, and reflect place. So should it take up much space? The winning applicant will have to bullshit for this one panelist, he or she got his own quote, which doesn't help convey what the hell they want.

  

And here it is, the importance of an artist statement: 

The artist statement will be considered an important part of the application and should reflect serious thinking.   Don't worry, they obviously don't know what serious thinking is. But I bet if you have lots of bullshit, it will fool them.

They are willing to spend $458,000 and can't even decide what the hell they want. 

Anyway a few movies come to mind about artist statements; I've mentioned before The Artist and the Model, in which the artist tries to find the "idea." Another movie that is just plain fun is Cashback, the artist in that one can stop time by just thinking about it, and there's a love story. On the art side, he's gifted, and he draws and paints the human form. Specifically he finds the female form out-of-this-world-beautiful. So does the artist in The Artist and the Model. That artist explains that the female form is so beautiful that woman must have been created first and couldn't have come from man. Ok, he creates some big theological problems with that idea, and has nothing to back it up, but it makes for a funny story, and it's his artist statement. In the movie The Next Big Thing, the artist deliberately does not have an artist statement and says art speaks for itself. He creates abstracts, which say nothing, so it's appropriate. 

Why would my artist statement have to reflect deep thinking to win the job? Here's my deep thinking on the subject and I guarantee you it wouldn't get me the job, plus my work is completely figurative. Would it help if the artist blathers on about art history and where his or hers fits in, or how other art has influenced his or her work? People are going to look at it and no one, ever, anywhere, will ever read anything about it once it goes up. Visual art speaks for itself, that's why it's not a book. 

Maybe my artist statement should go like this, which is inspired by Mark Twain who wrote something similar about his own work, here goes: If anyone ever tries to moralize, or read into, or imagine what I was trying to say in a work of art, he should be beat with a stout tree limb. My art is to look at. And that's probably more deep thinking than those panel of experts are used to.