Exercise 5.7 Prepare your artist's statement

"Photographic description alone will never be inspirational, never make a heart beat faster, never bring a tear to another's face. To achieve these things emotional messages must somehow be woven seamlessly into the photographic representation. But beyond what is baldly described by the light captured in a scene, the exact meaning of photographs is elusive. We read them but it’s not like reading prose, there’s no dictionary that we can refer to for definitions. Every viewer reads them in a subtly different way and their meaning may also alter for different viewings by the same viewer. Photographs’ descriptive power is almost overwhelming, sometimes it’s as if the images shout about the contents of their frame. Yet, almost lost in the cacophony of detail, deeper messages are being whispered. Despite the difficulty of hearing them, we know that the messages are there because we know that photographs can move us." (Ward, 2012)

As the course notes suggest, too many artists take a somewhat arrogant view that their work is 'out there' and it is up to the viewer to make of it what he or she thinks. You can get away with that as an established artist but they represent the summit of a very large mountain; for the rest of us struggling up the path I accept that there has to be some accountability to our audience, to guide the viewer, and to accept that doing so invites comment as to whether the aims are achieved or not. Be prepared to be shot at because that is the only way to improve. You don't have to agree with all the comments, but some should strike a chord else you are living in a self delusional bubble.

I found a very useful tip sheet at the top of the search for "photographers' artists' statement". The six tips are:

1. Start with basics -  basic information about the photos, including the theme;
2. Try not to get too technical- do not bother with camera or post processing details;
3. What do you wish someone else to say of the work - have your aims been met;
4. Share your background and history - why are you doing it?;
5. Try not to pat yourself on the back too much - probably the reason some people shy away from statements;
6. Does it have to be a traditional artist's statement? - think about alternative ways of presenting.

These are sound principles. Say something but not too much.  

This is an example from the above article:

"If these photos have a mission, it is this: capture rarely viewed scenes and environments and present them in an interesting way.

It may be a lonesome tree on an isolated hill or the dark interior of an abandoned building. Whatever the locale, on the best of days these images will stir up unexpected feelings and thoughts in the viewer.

Studio Tempura is based out of Baltimore, MD and has been creating photographs for over a decade."

Simple - to the point, neither understating nor overstating.

The link to community website - http://community.ucreative.ac.uk/index.cfm?articleid=18407 - does not work so was not possible to use the document.


A good example of an overstated statement is this from Elisa Paloschi:

Artist Statement - Faces and Places

I use photography as a means of self-expression – I make pictures for myself, to identify with hidden qualities of my character, to better understand my reality, and to express my interpretation of the world around me. A clearer understanding of myself and of my world allow me to explore fragments of life as an abstract form, and also to interact with people I would otherwise not be able to engage with. My goal is to use my camera like Alice’s rabbit hole, to open an unexplored world, a place of curious self-expression, but also a world of new relationships, new chances new beginnings and most importantly new stories.

My choice of subject comes from a place of intuition and is fuelled by an impetuous desire to partake in the stories that unfold around me. I seek the unknown and I look for the light within the shadows, the stories that are not at first obvious and the uncommon in the common. I photograph people in their environments because I am curious of what lays behind their eyes, where they have been and where they hope to go. My photography evokes the passage of time. I use slow shutter speeds and double exposures to explore the nuances of movement and the modulation of time as it passes from past to present to future. Recently I have begun to work with landscapes, attempting to illustrate abstract, evocative scenery as a motif to epitomize the idea of imagined space, a reminder that what I create through the viewfinder is only real to me.

I am inspired to compose by the contrast of light and dark, while I use the changing light of day to arouse the mood of my dreams.  Strangely, colour has appeared in my work, slowly and without intention, concealing the black and white imagery of my past. This colour conjures images of my favourite foods – mangoes, chocolate and spicy masala chai, and surprises me.  Gone with the black and white is my concerned with documenting a story, rather I find myself interested in the results of immersing myself in the story and recording my own reactions and actions to my world.  The photographs of Faces and Places come from that immersion.

Elisa Paloschi

This is too long and self-indulgent, it does not empathise with the reader.

I found an article by Siber (2009) useful as it reinforced the points made above and added a few more, notably:

• keep to one or two paragraphs;
• be specific;
• avoid romanticisation and flowery language;

 This is a better statement, that captures the artist's aim and use of techniques: 

Project Statement: "The Measure of Light"

Cast your eyes to the horizon and you’ll see how quickly the mind measures, frames, and categorizes the scene, latches on to form and shape, and instinctively divides the world into categories such as “earth”, “sea”, “sky”. Is it possible to see past these mind-made boundaries? What remains when we shift our gaze and distill the horizon to its pure visual essence?

To explore these questions, I spent months photographing the same spot on the distant ocean horizon at different times and different days. I deliberately de-focussed the lens to create a softened gaze that transforms sharp boundaries into seamless transitions of color and dissolves familiar forms: no “sea”, no “sky”, no “clouds”, no “horizon”. In this way, the eye is liberated from the familiar constraints of form, and is released into an immeasurable field of pure light.

I then rearranged strips from these formless photographs into triptychs. This allows the eye to explore and compare the variations of light and color that naturally occur from hour to hour and day to day. I print these images large to create an immersive sensory experience that places the viewer on an equal footing with the images. (Yudelman, 2016)

 

It is perhaps slightly strong on the 'how' rather than the 'why' but it inspires and describes the techniques admirably.

Another very good article (unreferenced), concludes:

Remember:  The artist statement is speaking to the viewer in the artist’s absence.  Therefore, the artist statement should be short, concise and well written in a conversational language.

References:

Siber, Matt (2009) Writing an Artisit's Statement. Available from http://siberart.com/wp-content/uploads/artists_statement.pdf. Accessed on 16 March 2017.

Ward, David (2012) On Meaning in Photography. Available from https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2012/02/on-meaning-in-photography/. Accessed on 16 March 2017.

 Yudelman, Jane (2016) Photography. Available from http://janeyudelman.com/statements/. Accessed on 16 March 2017.