How to Write an Artist Bio – A Practical Guide
The artist bio is one of those things that seems simple until you sit down to write it. Then it becomes one of the most uncomfortable pieces of writing many artists will ever attempt. How do you describe yourself without sounding arrogant? How do you be concise without leaving out everything that matters? How do you write in third person about yourself without it feeling completely unnatural?
Knowing how to write an artist bio is a practical skill – not a literary one. This guide walks you through what a bio needs to do, what it should include, and what consistently gets in the way of writing one that actually works.
What an artist bio is for
Before you write a word, it helps to be clear about what a bio is actually for. An artist bio is not a confession, a CV summary, or a manifesto. It is a short text that answers one question for the reader: who is this person and why should I pay attention to their work?
It appears in many different contexts – on your website, in gallery submissions, in exhibition catalogues, in social media profiles, in press materials. Each context calls for a slightly different length and tone, but the core information is the same.
The bio does not need to tell your whole story. It needs to tell enough of it that the reader wants to know more – and knows where to look.
What to include in an artist bio
A well-written artist bio typically covers five elements. Not all of them need to appear in every version – a short Instagram bio will include only two or three – but understanding all five gives you the raw material to work with.
1 Who you are
Your name, where you are based, and your medium or technique. This is the factual foundation. Keep it brief – one sentence is usually enough.
2 What your work is about
The themes, subjects, or questions that drive your practice. This is the most important part of how to write an artist bio that actually represents your work – not what you make technically, but what it is about. What are you exploring? What keeps coming back?
3 How you work
Your medium, technique, and approach – briefly. This is where you mention acrylic on canvas, mixed media, printmaking, or whatever your practice involves. One or two sentences, not a technical manual.
4 Where your work has been seen
A selective mention of exhibitions, publications, or recognition – if relevant. This is not a full CV. Choose one or two things that are most relevant to the context you are writing for. If you are early in your career, this section can be brief or omitted entirely.
5 Where to find more
A link to your website, Instagram, or portfolio. Even in a printed catalogue, this is worth including – because people will search for you online after reading it.
Third person or first person?
The traditional artist bio is written in third person – ‘Maria works in acrylic and oil, exploring themes of…’ This is standard for gallery submissions, catalogues, and press materials, where the bio will be read alongside other artists’ bios in a consistent format.
First person – ‘I work in acrylic and oil…’ – is increasingly common on websites and social media, where it feels more direct and personal. Both are acceptable. The key is consistency – choose one and use it throughout a given context.
A practical approach: write your bio in third person first, then convert it to first person if needed. Third person forces you to be more objective about what is actually important – which makes it a useful exercise even if you end up using first person in the final version.
Before and after – what the difference looks like
Here is the same artist bio written two ways. Both are for the same artist – a painter working in acrylic on MDF.
Before – vague and generic:
Ana is a visual artist who paints using acrylic. She is inspired by nature and the world around her. She has been painting for many years and has exhibited her work in various locations. She is passionate about art and hopes her work speaks to people.
After – specific and grounded:
Ana is a painter based in Zagreb, working in acrylic on MDF. Her work explores the relationship between memory and landscape – the way places hold traces of the people who moved through them. She uses a distinctive pixel-like technique to fragment and reconstruct familiar scenes, giving them the quality of something half-remembered. Her work has been exhibited in Croatia and internationally through online group exhibitions.
The second version is specific about technique, theme, and approach. It gives the reader a clear mental image of the work and a reason to be curious about it. It is not longer for the sake of it – every sentence does something.
Common mistakes when writing an artist bio
- Too vague. ‘Inspired by life and nature’ tells the reader nothing. Be specific about what in nature, what aspect of life, what particular obsession.
- Too long. A bio is not an autobiography. For most purposes, 80-150 words is enough. If you find yourself going over 200 words, cut.
- Too focused on credentials. A list of exhibitions and qualifications is a CV, not a bio. Credentials can be mentioned briefly, but they should support the description of your work – not replace it.
- Written once, never updated. Your bio should evolve as your practice does. Review it at least once a year and update it to reflect where your work is now, not where it was three years ago.
- Apologetic tone. Phrases like ‘she hopes her work speaks to people’ or ‘he tries to explore’ undermine confidence without adding humility. State what your work does, not what you hope it might do.
Different versions for different contexts
Knowing how to write an artist bio also means knowing that one version is never enough. You need at least three:
- Short bio (2-3 sentences): For Instagram, social media profiles, and anywhere space is limited. Name, medium, key theme, location.
- Medium bio (80-120 words): For gallery submissions, open call forms, and exhibition catalogues. All five elements, concisely.
- Long bio (200-300 words): For your website about page, press kits, and artist interviews. More context, more depth, more of your voice.
Keep all three versions saved somewhere accessible – a notes app, a Google Doc, a folder on your desktop. You will need them more often than you expect.
Keep all three versions of your bio saved and ready. You will need them more often than you expect.
Put your bio to work
Once you have a bio you are happy with, the next step is getting your work seen in a context that does it justice. Marea Gallery open calls give your work a curated online presence – and your bio appears alongside your artwork in the exhibition and the digital catalogue.
If you want to go further, a Marea Gallery artist interview is a format specifically designed to tell your story in depth – beyond what any bio can do. Find out more at mareagallery.com/artist-interviews.