Childlike, Dark & Witty Art of David Shrigley.

Self-branded as an outsider in the art world, David Shrigley is an internationally renowned Glasgow-based artist who has developed a cult following for his stripped back, childlike drawings. His dark and deliberately crude work explores human dysfunction, existential dramas, and general awkwardness and anxiety.

In his signature self-deprecating fashion, Shrigley has described himself as a “nasty person with a sense of humour”. Most of his artworks function as hilarious one-liners, which have left me snorting in most un-lady-like fashion on more than one occasion. Yes, Shrigley is matter-of-fact super dry and freaking funny, although he has stated more than once that he is not really so interested in telling jokes as such. “Most of the time I’m trying to be serious” he says.

After admiring his work in various places during our recent trip to London, (namely in the Parlour Room at Sketch for which he created bespoke art and tableware as a perfect antidote to the oh-so-pretty-in-pink interior by India Mahdavi), I decided to look into more of his work and put together a little selection of some of my favourites. I hope you will find them as amusing as I have.

As The Guardian’s chief art critic, Adrian Searle, perfectly summed up his output – “Shrigley’s work is very wrong and very bad in all sorts of ways. It is also ubiquitous and compelling. There are lots of artists who, furrowing their brows and trying to convince us of their seriousness, aren’t half as profound or compelling.” Amen to that.

[Images courtesy of the artist, Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Stephen Friedman Gallery and Artspace.]