Writing about your work

Photographers are often asked to put their work into words: an artist statement for an exhibition, a project description for a residency, wall text for a gallery, a caption for a book, a short biography for a festival program, or a paragraph for a website. Good writing does not explain away the images, but it gives viewers a way in, tells curators and editors what the work is doing, and helps you clarify your own thinking. Weak writing, full of jargon or vague claims, can make strong work seem confused. This lesson covers the kinds of writing fine art photographers produce, how to plan them with word budgets, how to revise for clarity, and how titles and captions shape the reading of images. VIS-410 covers grant applications, CVs and portfolios; this lesson concentrates on writing that accompanies the work itself.

Why writing matters

Images communicate powerfully but not precisely. Writing can supply context the images cannot show: where and when they were made, who is in them and why, what research shaped them, what questions drive the project. It can also set a tone and invite a kind of looking. At the same time, writing should not tell viewers exactly what to feel or overclaim what the images achieve. The aim is a balance: enough to orient the viewer, not so much that it closes down their own response.

Writing also benefits the artist. Trying to describe your project in 100 words forces you to decide what it is really about. Many photographers find that writing a statement mid-project changes how they shoot and edit.

Kinds of writing

• Project statement: describes a specific body of work, its subject, approach and concerns. It is the most common text in exhibitions and applications.
• General artist statement: describes your practice as a whole, the themes and methods that run through different projects.
• Wall text or introductory panel: a short text at the entrance to an exhibition, often written or edited by the curator.
• Labels and captions: brief texts beside individual works giving title, date, medium, dimensions and sometimes a sentence or two of context.
• Biography: a short third-person account of your background, education, exhibitions and achievements.
• Press release: a text issued by a gallery or festival to announce an exhibition, usually written by the venue with your input.
• Book text: essays, afterwords, captions and notes that accompany a photobook, sometimes written by the artist and sometimes by invited writers.

Word budgets

Different contexts allow different lengths, and venues often set strict limits. Plan writing by allocating words to the job each part must do. A word budget keeps you from spending most of a short statement on background and running out of space for the work itself.

These lengths are typical rather than fixed. Always follow a venue's or funder's stated limit, and remember that viewers standing in a gallery read slowly and selectively; at roughly 200 words per minute, a 300-word panel asks for a minute and a half of standing attention.

What a project statement contains

A useful project statement usually answers four questions, in whatever order suits the work.

• What: what does the work show? Name the subject, place, people or materials concretely.
• How: how was it made? Mention process, method or collaboration when it matters to the meaning.
• Why: what questions, ideas or concerns drive the work? What should viewers think about?
• Context: what history, place, community, research or other artists does it respond to, if relevant?

Open with something concrete and specific rather than a general claim. "For three winters, I photographed the ice-fishing huts that appear each January on Lake Winnipeg" gives the reader a world. "My work explores the human condition" gives them nothing.

Avoiding art-speak

Writing about contemporary art has a reputation for obscure jargon, sometimes called "art-speak" or, by some critics, "International Art English." Common features include abstract nouns ("the visual," "spatiality"), verbs that make claims for the work ("interrogates," "problematizes," "subverts"), long strings of qualifications and references to theory without explanation. Specialized vocabulary is sometimes necessary, but it should be used precisely and sparingly.

A good test is to read your statement aloud to someone who has not seen the work. If they can describe what the pictures probably look like and why you made them, the statement is doing its job.

Titles

Titles shape how images and series are read. A descriptive title, such as a place and date, offers neutrality and documentary authority. A poetic title opens associations. A numbered or untitled approach, such as "Untitled #12," keeps attention on the image and avoids steering interpretation. Series titles carry particular weight because they frame every image. Test several titles with readers, and check that a title does not unintentionally clash with the images, overclaim or make a joke you do not intend.

Captions and labels

Captions in fine art contexts usually give basic information in a consistent format. A typical exhibition label includes artist name, title, date, medium and dimensions, and sometimes edition information or a short contextual sentence. In documentary-influenced work, captions may also identify people and places; consent and accuracy matter here, as lesson 5 discussed.

Biographies

A short biography is usually written in the third person and gives your name, where you are based, your training, key exhibitions, awards, residencies and publications, sometimes with a sentence on your work. Keep it current and adapt its length to each use. Avoid listing everything; select the most relevant. A 100-word bio might give one sentence on location and background, one or two on the work, and the rest on selected achievements. VIS-410 covers CVs, which list achievements in full.

Writing process and revision

Writing about your work is easier as a habit than as a crisis before a deadline. Keep notes in your project journal, as lesson 2 suggested, and draft statements early and often. Write a long, messy version first, then cut. Read drafts aloud. Ask peers who know the work and peers who do not to respond. Keep a file of versions at different lengths, such as 50, 150 and 300 words, so you can respond quickly to calls. Revise statements as the work changes; an outdated statement is a common reason applications feel unconvincing.

Voice and honesty

Write in a voice that sounds like you, usually the first person for statements and the third person for biographies. Be honest about what the work does and how it was made. If images are staged, digitally composited or made in collaboration, say so where it matters to how viewers will read them. If you worked with a community, credit their contribution and, where appropriate, invite them to review how they are described. Accurate writing builds trust with viewers, curators and the people in your pictures.