An artist’s statement –
is a written description or explanation of an artist’s work, artistic process, and creative intentions. It is a document where artists articulate their ideas, concepts, and motivations behind their artwork. The statement provides insight into the artist’s inspiration, influences, techniques, and the themes or issues they explore in their work.
An artist’s statement serves several purposes. Firstly, it allows the artist to communicate their artistic vision and establish a connection with viewers, collectors, curators, and critics. It helps the audience understand the artist’s perspective, the messages they aim to convey, and the emotions they seek to evoke through their art. Secondly, an artist’s statement can be used as a promotional tool, accompanying exhibitions, portfolios, or grant applications, providing a context for the artwork and enhancing its presentation.
When writing an artist’s statement, it is important for the artist to be clear, concise, and authentic. The statement should reflect the artist’s unique voice and style while offering a deeper understanding of their creative practice. It may include discussions on the artist’s background, artistic influences, artistic techniques, conceptual framework, thematic concerns, and the intended impact of their work. The language used should be accessible to a general audience while remaining true to the artist’s personal expression.
Overall, an artist’s statement serves as a bridge between the artist and the viewer, helping to create a meaningful dialogue and fostering a deeper appreciation and understanding of the artwork.
Exhibition Text –
In the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) Visual Arts course, students are required to create an exhibition of their artwork as part of their assessment. This exhibition is accompanied by an exhibition text, similar to an artist’s statement, specifically tailored for the exhibition.
The exhibition text in IB DP Visual Arts serves to articulate students’ artistic intentions, ideas, and processes behind their artwork. It allows them to communicate their conceptual framework, explore themes, and showcase the techniques they employ.
Displayed alongside the artwork, the exhibition text provides viewers, including teachers, examiners, and fellow students, with a deeper understanding of the student’s artistic practice and the reasoning behind creative decisions. It adds context to the artwork and enhances the overall exhibition experience.
When writing the exhibition text, students are encouraged to be clear, concise, and reflective. They should demonstrate their understanding of visual arts elements, principles, and conceptual ideas that inform their work. Discussion of the artistic process, including experimentation, research, and idea development, is important. Reflection on the meaning, significance, intended audience, and desired impact of the artwork should also be included.
The exhibition text is a vital component of the assessment, showcasing students’ critical thinking, artistic growth, and ability to articulate their intentions. It allows them to engage in thoughtful and reflective dialogue about their artwork and the broader artistic context.
For each piece included in the exhibition, students must write a brief exhibition text stating the title, medium, and size, followed by a supporting text that explains the focus and intentions of that specific piece. This helps examiners understand the context, materials, and scale, and provides additional insights.
By “intentions,” we refer to students’ artistic goals and the conceptual framework behind their work. While the bulk of the supporting statement is covered in the Curatorial Rationale, individual exhibition texts offer details that may not be deducible from photographs, such as intentions in creating the piece, influences, series connections, or site-specific elements. This paragraph has a character limit of 500, including spaces.
