Artist Statement Examples & Recommended Layout
See how to structure a clear artist statement and where to place it in your portfolio PDF. Examples, recommended word counts and formatting guidelines for galleries and residencies.
Where the artist statement goes in a portfolio PDF
The artist statement appears after the cover page and before the biography and CV: always before the artworks, not after. This placement means the reviewer arrives at your images already primed with context. A strong statement changes how the artworks are read.
In MyArtPDF, the statement is placed in this order automatically: cover, statement, biography, CV, artworks. You write the content: the PDF structure handles itself.
Some institutions ask for the statement as a standalone document. MyArtPDF lets you export it separately as well, with the same typography and formatting as the rest of the portfolio. If you want the full writing guide, read the artist statement guide.
Recommended length and what to include
For most portfolio submissions: 150 to 300 words. Short enough to read in one sitting during a first-pass review. Long enough to establish genuine context.
A good statement covers three things:
- What you are working on or through: the specific questions, tensions or problems that drive the practice
- How you work: materials, processes, decisions that are genuinely relevant to the meaning of the work
- Why it matters to you: what makes this body of work worth making, without overstating its significance
What to avoid: describing what the work looks like (curators can see it), using jargon to compensate for unclear thinking, opening with 'My work explores the relationship between...' (this formulation appears in thousands of statements and signals a generic document).
Adapting your statement for different submissions
A general statement is useful as a base, but should be adapted for each significant application. A residency statement explains what you intend to develop during the residency. An open call statement engages with the call's theme. A gallery statement frames your practice in relation to the gallery's programme.
The difference between a statement that reads as specific and one that reads as generic is almost always a concrete detail: a specific material, a specific place, a specific question. These cannot be faked, and experienced readers notice their absence.
At minimum, rewrite the opening paragraph for each context. Ideally, write a statement that would not make sense sent to a different submission. If you still need the broader portfolio structure, read the artist portfolio PDF guide.