As such it aims to inform, connect with an art context, and present the basis for the work; it is, therefore, didactic, descriptive, or reflective in nature.
Further, the statement serves to show that the artist is conscious of their intentions, aware of their practice and its position within art parameters and of the discourse surrounding it.
What the artist writes in their statement may be integrated in wall text, handouts at an exhibition or a paragraph in a press release.
[2] They may be edited to suit the requirements of specific funding bodies, galleries or call-outs as part of the application process.
[citation needed] Rather, a contemporary artist may be required to submit the statement in order to tender for commissions or apply for schools, residencies, jobs, awards, and other forms of institutional support, in justification of their submission.
In 2013, Workshop Press published a collection of 123 artist statements by British painter Tom Palin.