An artist statement is a short text, usually 100 to 300 words, that explains what you make, how and why, in your own voice. Open calls, grants and exhibitions ask for one to understand your work quickly; for AR, it should also say how the place or technology shapes the piece.
Also known as: artist's statement, statement of practice, project statement
ARtivism open call, Austin, 2026
The mask cracks to show the machinery underneath
How it works
Start with what the work is, then the ideas behind it, then process and materials. Use plain, specific language, avoid jargon, and tailor a version for each call or show.
How it works in illust
illust open calls and placement packages ask for a short statement and bio; strong statements help curators pair your work with the right location. The sample below is noitako's statement for Paper Skins & Data Guts, one of 36 works in ARtivism, a Balanced Forces open call in Austin in 2026, annotated to show what each sentence does.
Place your art in ARSee it in action: Balanced Forces exhibitions →
Sample artist statement, annotated
noitako's statement for Paper Skins & Data Guts runs about 100 words in five sentences, and each sentence does one job.
‘Paper Skins & Data Guts’ is a digital autopsy of our online identity.
What it is. Opens with the title and the idea in one line a curator could repeat.
I used vintage comic aesthetics to build a familiar ‘mask’ that constantly glitches and fails, revealing the raw, robotic machinery underneath.
How it is made. Process and visual language in plain words: what it looks like and what it does.
For me, ARtivism is about using technology to expose its own influence on us.
Why, tied to the call. Connects the work to the open call's theme in the artist's own voice.
The 16-second loop—a continuous cycle of decay and reconstruction—shows that our digital and biological selves are now permanently fused.
How the form carries the idea. Names a specific detail of the AR piece and what it means.
I want the viewer to feel like they’ve caught a glimpse of something they weren't supposed to see—a crack in the pop-culture facade that reveals our true, wired nature.
What the viewer experiences. Ends on what the viewer should feel. An AR statement should always say what people experience through their phone.
What it leaves out: a biography and a list of software. Those belong in the bio and the technical details of the application.
noitako, artist statement for Paper Skins & Data Guts, ARtivism open call, Austin, 2026FAQ
How long should an artist statement be?
For most open calls, 100 to 300 words. Follow the call's limit exactly.
What should an AR artist statement add?
Why the work belongs in that place, and what the viewer experiences through their phone.