Before and After. Cleanup Progresses.Lisa Hunter writes a blog called "The Intrepid Collector" and recently had this to say: "Personally, I think Artist Statements are to blame for the notion that artists can't explain their work. Many statements are badly written or barely comprehensible. But maybe that's a function of, well, their function. What exactly are they for anyway? Are they the artist's "criticism" of his or her own work? Are they Cliff Notes for collectors who don't understand contemporary art? Are they a "translation" of a visual idea into a verbal one? Most artists I know hate writing them, and few collectors get any real benefit from them."
I'm long overdue for an update to my statements. I give two versions to introduce me and my work on my resume page: 'About the Art' and 'About the Artist'. The latter (at the bottom of the page) was developed to cover a lack of impressive art degrees and show that I really have worked hard and left a creative trail. I guess they've served their purpose, but when you find a copy staring back at you from a gallery site and a chill creeps up your back, well... maybe it's time to move the words around a bit. Maybe I've outgrown those words, maybe I'm not even that person at all.
1 comment:
It is very difficult for a visual artist who expresses themselves through their art to be a whizz at using words too. Statements are such a pain to produce, but I like the division you make between the art and the artist. However, in general I think that both kinds of statements should be revised regularly as the artist looks back over progress and looks forward through new work.
I have only recently found your blog, and love your Bokusho Series. Good luck with it.
Post a Comment