Topic: Artist's statements

[Andrea.]

I once wrote an artist statement on request for another unnamed website, something along the lines of;

I take lots of snaps, some I like and print - often they come out weird. I pretend I meant it that way.

which is near the truth - but it was deemed not arty enough or something and they rewrote it.
So now I have written another;

The Artist’s ‘way of seeing’ is inspired by a formative move into the cultural space, place and temporal milieu of the northern and now occupies the boundaries between complementary dimensions.
In order to explore the cultural space within converging traditions and ideologies,, the artist subverts conventional pedagogy moving into mystical realms of the seen and not seen; seeking an emotional response awakening notions of colour within a monochromatic spectrum. The work is heavily informed by the writings of Pierre Bourdieu (1984) and the pictorialist imagery of Leonard Missone, transgressing the interface between landscape and man, the potential duality of space, place and memory challenging the fecundity of linear time.

Of course it's total garbage but I see this sort of thing a lot at the arts centre. Actually, there's a website especially for them http://www.artybollocks.com .

Love to see your take on this :-)

[DaveMiller]

Well done, that help sell a snap or two. 
The punctuation was obviously influenced by that glass of nectar in one's hand.

Personally, as spatial replicas become clarified through studious and critical practice, all I'm left with is a summary of the inaccuracies of our era.

[charles binns]

Classic!  Must get one for myself. 

[LT]

Andrea - have you have missed a trick by not considering Lyotard? Clearly, we can no longer rely on the meta-narratives of community, and I think your individual slices of time from your your chosen form of expression demonstrate strongly the isolation and seclusion of the post-modern human condition. I'm particularly taken with the notion of a "temporal milieu of the northern" but I think the you could have set this more in line with the Neoliberal world we live in? We are all individuals with only ourselves to blame.  In the words of the late [one can only hope] Margaret Thatcher, "... there is no such thing as society, there are individual men and women, and there are families ... people must look to themselves first.". 

I was more taken with the first attempt really Andrea, as I suspect are you :0)

L.

[Andrea.]

Andrea - have you have missed a trick by not considering Lyotard? Clearly, we can no longer rely on the meta-narratives of community, and I think your individual slices of time from your your chosen form of expression demonstrate strongly the isolation and seclusion of the post-modern human condition. I'm particularly taken with the notion of a "temporal milieu of the northern" but I think the you could have set this more in line with the Neoliberal world we live in? We are all individuals with only ourselves to blame.  In the words of the late [one can only hope] Margaret Thatcher, "... there is no such thing as society, there are individual men and women, and there are families ... people must look to themselves first.". 

I was more taken with the first attempt really Andrea, as I suspect are you :0)


L.

Don't even start me on Lyotard!!! I have a copy of his "Postmodern Condition" to my right elbow. I got to him via David Harvey's "The Condition of Postmodernity". And wish I hadn't. It messed with my head so much so I attempted to write an essay of "Conditional Postmodernity". As you might imagine, I didn't finish my PhD !

Anyway, any more artsy Statements from anyone :-)

[LT]

I got to him via David Harvey's "The Condition of Postmodernity".

Harvey is the man though, non? Medway boy done good

[Terry]

I, too, have The Postmodern Condition but it's in my left elbow and only comes on when the weather is damp.  My doctor said to take a couple of aspirin and it'd go away.

[CarlRadford]

The first statement relates to the person that I know - albeit not very well - but I'd know it was you and the persona that you more often than not project.  The second is tosh as you say but I feel you hide the real you from all but those you really love, know and trust - nothing wrong with that.  I'd say you sit somewhere between the two - wanting to be taken seriously - but unsure if this is how you should project yourself.  I and other I know take you very seriously.

Maybe we should write an artist staement for someone we know really well and see what they think of it

[Flippy]

I like to keep artists statements pretty straightforward: "this is why I made these - here's why I find this interesting".   I sometimes think that maybe it's a bit like putting footnotes at the bottom of a poem, but I guess that's still better than coming up with flowery, cryptic nonsense.

On the other hand if one honestly does not know why they take pictures, other than "sometimes one looks interesting maybe" - they probably ought to sit and think about why they bother spending time on it in the first place.  Though it may not be your intention, that attitude is insulting to your audience.  If somebody really likes your work then reads your artist statement and  "it's just some crap I made I dunno anything about it" - it's a bit like calling them an ass for appreciating it. 

[Terry]

Artists' statements are, to me, like cast bios in a theatre program: always awkward and never as fully candid and revealing as their readers want them to be.  They also imply that the work itself is somehow incomplete or insufficient.  I would rather let the work speak.  That said, it's all part of the standard ritual and must be done if for no other reason.  So I like Carl's suggestion best--let someone who knows you write it.

[Mojave]

I just want to say that I HATE artist statements. Hate is a strong word, I know, but I feel strongly about it so it works. 

[Windy]

Other than 'a student of the Wiesmier school of serendipity in photography' I don't really have much to add to this discussion.

[Andrea.]

Other than 'a student of the Wiesmier school of serendipity in photography' I don't really have much to add to this discussion.

Ha!

[Francois]

Being a post-postmodern man, I don't have anything to add either.

[Ken B: eyes, I just do eyes.]

I love the Arty Bollocks page

My kind of people

[DS]

Being a post-postmodern man, I don't have anything to add either.

Post-postmodernism is so passe. Hypermodernism is where it is at now.

Who brought up Bourdieu? I hang out in this forum for fun. Not Bourdieu.

[original_ann]

I love your artist statement (the first one). 

[Diane Peterson]

I prefer your first artist staement...at least I can understand that one!!

[gothamtomato]

The Artist’s ‘way of seeing’ is inspired by a formative move into the cultural space, place and temporal milieu of the northern and now occupies the boundaries between complementary dimensions.
In order to explore the cultural space within converging traditions and ideologies,, the artist subverts conventional pedagogy moving into mystical realms of the seen and not seen; seeking an emotional response awakening notions of colour within a monochromatic spectrum. The work is heavily informed by the writings of Pierre Bourdieu (1984) and the pictorialist imagery of Leonard Missone, transgressing the interface between landscape and man, the potential duality of space, place and memory challenging the fecundity of linear time.

This is why I had to drop out of art school: I have a low bullshit threshold and just couldn't listen to this stuff.

[Flippy]

I actually enjoy writing artist statements.  Because you can either sit down and think about why it is you do what you do (ideally) or you can just write some flowery BS (not ideal but works in a pinch if you just have to).

I think a lot of people can't figure out how to put their feelings about why they make art into words, so they give up, and out comes the fluff.

On the other hand when you suddenly get it, I think that moment is really satisfying.  Maybe it's just because I enjoy being introspective and analytical.  But I enjoy putting everything together and going "ah-ha - that's it!" Sometimes it can be really challenging to figure out how to express, after all that's why you took photos instead of writing about it in the first place... but when you do figure out how to put it into words properly, for me anyway, that always feels great.

[eric rose]

Somewhere on the net there is a automated artist statement generator.  Great fun.  I will have to see if I can find it again.

[eric rose]

Ah here is one generated by: http://10gallon.com/statement2000/

Eric's Artist Statement


Through my work I attempt to examine the phenomenon of Bart Simpson as a methaphorical interpretation of both Ansel Adams and leap.

What began as a personal journey of crapism has translated into images of macaroni and elbow that resonate with Lower Buckf#@kistanies people to question their own baldness.

My mixed media tractor embody an idiosyncratic view of Jeff Bridges, yet the familiar imagery allows for a connection between Mozart, trees and beans.

My work is in the private collection of Captain Stoubing who said 'Your freak'n right mate!!, that's some real amazing Art.'

I am a recipient of a grant from Folsom Prison where I served time for stealing mugs and tie clips from the gift shop of The Glenbow. I have exhibited in group shows at Wendy's and Rosie's Bar and Grill, though not at the same time. I currently spend my time between my closet and Berlin.