Hello,
OK, can of worms here, but, I have to say that, for some, not all,
of my work, I do want to be able to describe what it is and why I do
it, in a meaningful and thoughtful (maybe even a thought-provoking)
way. This is really all that an Artist Statement is. And, yes, I do
think of those pieces as “Art” pieces.
That being said, I do agree that there is a lot of drivel, hogwash,
nonsense, rubbish, baloney, bosh, hokum, malarkey, and B. S. being
written out there in the art world (and elsewhere). An Artist
Statement needs only to be about the work and what it means to the
artist, whatever the medium. And, whatever one makes, one always has
the option to refer to one’s work anyway one wants. as art, as
functional art, as decorative art, as adornment, as jewels, as
whatever -OR- not to refer to it at all, that is, not to write
anything about it at all.
When one’s work is published or exhibited, the viewing public may
want to read about the what and why of the work. There is that
curiosity of those who do not make ‘stuff’, that when satisfied, can
add a dimension to the work itself. That’s when the Artist Statement
becomes useful, just as a Bio also becomes useful. What comes to
mind is Joseph Cornell or Vincent Van Gogh. An understanding of
their lives and their perspective of their work certainly adds to a
more complete understanding of their work, even though the work
itself stands on its own.
There is the aspect of the Artist Statement and the Bio that require
the artist (us) to be able to write, not something that always comes
easy to visual artists. So many of us are dyslexic to one degree or
another (myself included). So, when asked to write anything, we
refuse, rebel, and run the other way. That’s when the help of a
friend who can write, becomes essential. When I first began to make
my work, I had a difficult time actually articulating what I was
doing and why I was doing it. A dear friend, who is a wonderful
poet, wrote a brief description of my work, obviously from her
perspective, and what an eye-opener that was. It helped me then and
since then for my three decades-plus making my work, to find ways to
describe my work, sometimes trying to see it through eyes other than
my own.
Anyway, Artist Statements, write 'em, if you want or stick 'em in
the hogwash pile. Either way, the work must and will still stand on
its own, won’t it!
That’s all,
Linda Kaye-Moses