In order to choose one of the 24 Motors in the diagram, follow steps one to three:

Review the artist’s “significant” works (i.e., those works that best demonstrate the diversity and complexity of the artist’s practice but which also, and crucially, have been pivotal in gaining recognition).

Read the detailed descriptions of the works to develop a physical, concrete understanding of them. To this end, favor in situ images (which accurately identify the work’s scale and relationship to the surroundings or the visitor) and read the detailed descriptions of the techniques and materials used.

Privilege statements and writings by the artists themselves (interviews, recordings, videos, books, articles, etc.) and press releases from their gallery. Consider the titles of the works.

Understanding an artist’s Motor is about reflecting on what actually prompts them to create as opposed to what one perceives in their works. There are as many possible interpretations of a work of art as there are observers. However, it is possible to identify an artist’s Motor, and identifying their Motor provides a general understanding of their work and also facilitates making links with other artists or a particular art movement. The Motor is what drives an artist on a fundamental level. It is the artist’s central concern, their initial desire, and not what might develop out of it or what interests them in a peripheral manner.

To identify the Motor:

- Start by analyzing the artist’s works: Put yourself in the artist’s place rather than that of spectator. To find an artist’s Motor (their motivations, their concerns) you need to focus on their intention rather than the works’ impact on you. Assimilate the brief definitions of the various Motors and ask yourself the following questions: What is the primary register that seems to interest the artist? Which register do the issues dealt with seem to stem from? Do their works convey an identifiable and predominant area of interest, i.e., perception, the system (society and its codes, politics), narration, play, the self, the body?

- Review the data collected (technical descriptions of the works, the artist’s statements, press releases from their gallery, exhibition shots, etc.). Focus on the process through which the artist designs and makes their art, because knowing the origins of a piece helps to understand what is driving the artist.

To verify the Motor-Means pair you have selected for an artist, refer to the list of artists sharing the same pair: Are the results coherent? If you are still uncertain, you will need to gather more information on the artist, paying particular attention to their own statements.