I'm agreeing with Titus (re his most recent blog post: "Another hash house opens in the Design District") about artist statements- I find that the best way to keep from holding the artist statement against the work is to simply not read it. I try not to, at least until after I've written a review, for just this reason.
For laughs, you can't beat a game we played in grad school: take the statement from one show and try applying it to another. It will either wildly off base, or eerily appropriate. The surprising fact is that many statements are completely interchangeable.
