Short Artist Bio & Artist CV & Artist Statement

8 min readApr 3, 2018

Is an Art Biography Enough on Its Own?

The artistic industry is becoming more and more professional and you will be required to showcase yourself and your talents with more than just your artwork. Before a gallery will exhibit your work they are going to want to know who you are trough writing artist bio. They will almost certainly ask you for a short artist bio, an artist statement, and your CV. Witting artist bio pages and the other documents will need to be done perfectly if you are going to get the right reaction. However you will first need to know the difference between the three types of documents.

In this article we will run through the differences between CV, artist bio vs artist statement so that you can understand what each does. We will also run through how each should be written and the issues that should be avoided when writing so that you can ensure that your documentation will always present you in the right light.

What Is an Artist’s Bio?

Your short artist bio is a brief biographical statement about yourself. Writing a good biography however can be very difficult as you will need to be able to summarize what you have done and explain your inspirations in a very short piece about yourself. Its purpose is simply to tell the reader where you have been as an artist and where you are going on your artistic path, as well as introducing who you actually are.

How Long Is a Short Artist Bio?

When you create a bio you are looking to provide the reader with a brief overview of you and your work. This needs to be in sufficient detail to be able to generate interest from the reader but short enough that they can read it quickly without losing interest or getting lost in the detail that you provide. Typically you will aim for something that can be read in less than a minute which will be around 200 to 600 words maximum. Many galleries and competitions may actually provide you with a definite limit for your bio.

Do’s and Don’ts When Writing Your Bio

To help you with writing your short biographical statement for your bio we provide you with some advice as to what you should and should not do:

Do write in the third person: your bio may be used word for word in catalogs, by the press, and in other areas and you do not want it to sound overly self centered.
Do provide the reader with an idea of your inspirations rather than simply listing your achievements and awards as you may within your CV.
Do make it interesting: you want to leave the reader actually wanting to view your work to see what you have created.

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Don’t judge your own work: let them make their own judgment when they get to see what you have produced.
Don’t make statements that are over the top: let others say that you are the “best” in your field or that you are a “visionary”. Don’t make those forms of claims in your own bio.
Don’t submit a poorly written error filled bio: always take the time to proofread your writing so that you present the best first impression.

How to Write an Effective Artist Bio

Our advice for writing a good artist bio will help you to better understand the process that you will need to go through to get your biography written to the right standard:

Take a look at a famous artist biography or one of our samples to get an understanding of what will be expected of you. Good examples can offer you a huge amount of guidance as to what things you should be including and the style of writing that you need to employ.
Understand your audience: look at who is going to be reading your bio and tailor your content accordingly to give them the information that they are looking for.
Meet any expectations: if you are submitting your bio to support a piece of work in a competition or to try to get your work displayed at a gallery then check if they have specific requirements and expectations for your bio. Make sure that you follow instructions to the letter.
Don’t simply regurgitate your CV in prose form: while your may want to include some of your awards and achievements you really should be talking about what makes you tick and unique as an artist in your area.
Be concise in your writing: it needs to be short and to the point so avoid flowery speech and adding in many adjectives.
Give them your inspirations, they want to understand what it is that makes you such a good artist and why you are doing what you are doing. Do not however tell them how they should feel about your art.

What Is an Artist Bio Statement

Many struggle with what is a biographical statement and how is it different to the bio. The artists statement is very different to the CV but will cover some of the same elements of the bio. Its purpose is to give the reader a description of what you art is. By reading the statement the reader should be able to visualize what you produce without having actually seen it. It can be written for a specific exhibition, application, or even a single piece of work depending on your specific needs.

How Long Is a Short Biographical Statement

Just as with your artists bio you must always check with the body that you are submitting your work to if they have any specific expectations. In general however an artist’s statement will usually be shorter than a bio at just 100 to 300 words in length. It may be presented alongside your work within a gallery for the viewers information so something that is much longer simply will not get read.

Dos and Don’ts for Writing Your Artist Statement

When you are learning how to write an artist bio statement it is handy to have a list of things that you should and should not do with your writing:

Do open with a strong sentence that will make the reader want to learn more
Do keep it as short as you can so that you don’t lose the attention of the reader
Do focus on things that may not be immediately obvious from simply looking at your work
Do write a statement that will help connect the reader to your work

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Don’t tell the reader what they should be feeling about your work, stick to explaining what you have tried to achieve
Don’t use pretentious language or “artspeak” as it will not impress the reader
Don’t write your statement as if you were an art critic

Tips for Writing Your Artists Statement

The following tips for learning how to write a biographical statement will help you to better approach the task that you have:

Take a look at a good bio statement example for ideas and guidance: Good examples will help you to better understand what is really expected of you and the types of information that you should be looking for to include.
Check the specific requirements: as with your bio the body you are applying to may have specific requirements and these should be followed to the letter.
Write in the first person: unlike your bio your statement should use “I”.

Consider the following areas that can be included within your statement:

Describe how your art actually looks: colors, textures, shapes, materials etc.
What is the inspiration for the work? Why have you chosen specific materials, styles, techniques, etc.
Is there are central idea or theme for your work?
How do the different elements of your work interact?
How has your work developed and where do you expect it to go?
Where would you place your art within other contemporary work?
Don’t use language that will not be understood by your readers. Look to paint a picture with everyday words that everyone can easily comprehend.
Get the advice of others: have other artists or friends review your statement and provide you with their feedback.

What Is an Artist’s CV

Unlike your bio or statement your CV is more a formal look at what you have actually achieved such as works published, exhibitions and education in art. It does not go into your inspirations and details of how you actually perform your work as you may do within your other documents but it is a vital part of your portfolio. As such great care needs to be taken when writing your CV just as with your statement and bio.

How Long Should an Artist CV Be?

Just as with your other documentation you will want to keep your CV as short as you possibly can. People simply are not going to read through reams of paper to discover the details of every piece of work that you have ever created. Stick to between 1 and 3 pages if you want to ensure that your CV will do the job it is meant for.

Dos and Don’ts for CV Writing

The following advice as to what you should and shouldn’t do within your CV will help you to better understand just what you need to be achieving through your document:

Do start at where you are now and work backwards in time: your CV should always be presented in reverse chronological order. The reader will want to see where you are now first.
Do use a layout that is easy to read: make sure it is uncluttered with plenty of free space and text that is simple to read.
Do use bullets and short sharp sentences to get your points across.