How to Write an Artist Statement (With a Simple Formula That Works)

What an artist statement is actually for

It is not an essay, a manifesto, or a test of your vocabulary. It is context. A curator looks at your work, then reads your statement to understand what they are looking at and who made it. That's the whole job.

The three sentence formula

Sentence one: what you make. The medium and the subject, plainly. "I make large scale oil paintings of empty urban spaces at night." Sentence two: why you make it. The idea or feeling driving the work. "I am interested in the loneliness of cities, and what places look like when nobody is performing for anyone." Sentence three: what goes into it. Process, influence, or material, whichever is most distinctive. "Each painting is built from photographs I take on night walks, layered until the light feels wrong in a way that feels right."

That's a complete, professional artist statement. Three sentences. You can expand each into a short paragraph as you grow, but you never need more than that to apply anywhere, including with us.

What to cut

Cut jargon. "My practice interrogates the liminality of post-industrial space" says less than "I paint empty car parks and I'm not sure why I find them beautiful." Curators read hundreds of statements. The plain one stands out. Cut apology. Never write "I'm just starting out" or "I hope my work is good enough." Your work either connects or it doesn't, and confidence is free. Cut biography that isn't about the work. Where you studied matters less than what you make. If you're self taught, say it plainly or say nothing. We've exhibited thousands of self taught artists and the wall doesn't check certificates.

One honest tip from the review table

The statements we remember are the ones that sound like a person. If you'd be embarrassed to read it out loud to a friend, rewrite it until you wouldn't. That's the entire editing process.

Then use it

You now have a statement, which means you're one step from applying. Our open calis are live across Paris, Athens, Tokyo, London, Milan, Amsterdam and New York. Free to apply, all mediums, open theme.

Apply at theholyart.com

Where art meets the world.