David Shrigley
22 Jun - 22 Sep 2012
DAVID SHRIGLEY
Brain Activity
22 June - 23 September 2012
“David Shrigley's art operates at the cross-roads of art, absurdity and philosophy...It's like Kierkegaard, only with marker pens, poster paint and crappily-made sculpture. ” — J.J. Charlesworth, TimeOut London
“When was the last time you laughed out loud inside an art gallery? And I don’t mean sniggering at contemporary art... (David Shrigley’s exhibition) should come with a promise: laughter guaranteed, or your money back. ” — Alastair Sooke, The Telegraph, London
“Shrigley’s characters often spout existential truths that would be at home in a Samuel Beckett play. ” — Elizabeth Fullerton, ArtNews
The work of David Shrigley effortlessly infuses a comedic sensibility into a serious fine art practice. David Shrigley: Brain Activity showcases the diversity of the artist’s work — seemingly amateurish, crude drawings, sculptures made of unusual materials, and installations characterized by incongruities of scale—offering insightful and often surreal commentary on the absurdities of life, death and everything in between. Irreverent and mischievous, Shrigley’s art presents the kind of odd scenarios you never come across in real life, but wish you did.
Based in Glasgow, Shrigley is best known for his pared-down drawings and animations that make witty, wry and deadpan observations on a range of everyday subjects and situations. Shrigley’s doodles have a lightness that belies their incisiveness; he has developed his own unique comic aesthetic that speaks equally to popular culture and fine art, yet remains unexpectedly amusing and easily accessible. Other exhibition highlights include a selection of films and a well-known series of photographs featuring discreet interventions that the artist has orchestrated in various landscapes and interiors, injecting comedic irony into otherwise everyday banal imagery.
David Shrigley: Brain Activity, curated by Cliff Lauson of the Hayward Gallery, London, is the largest survey of the artist’s work to date, and features groupings of drawings and paintings on paper, a variety of sculptures, several installations, sets of photographs and a selection of animations.
Organized by Hayward Gallery, London; Curated by Cliff Lauson
About the Curator
Cliff Lauson is the curator at the Hayward Gallery, London. He received his BA in English Literature from The University of British Columbia in 2001, and his MA in 2004 and his PhD in 2009 in Art History from University College London. Recent exhibitions include Tracey Emin (Love Is What You Want), Ernesto Neto (The Edges of the World), and Ron Terada (Ron Terada: Who I Think I Am). He has also written for Art Monthly, Vitamin D: New Perspectives in Drawing and Fillip.
Brain Activity
22 June - 23 September 2012
“David Shrigley's art operates at the cross-roads of art, absurdity and philosophy...It's like Kierkegaard, only with marker pens, poster paint and crappily-made sculpture. ” — J.J. Charlesworth, TimeOut London
“When was the last time you laughed out loud inside an art gallery? And I don’t mean sniggering at contemporary art... (David Shrigley’s exhibition) should come with a promise: laughter guaranteed, or your money back. ” — Alastair Sooke, The Telegraph, London
“Shrigley’s characters often spout existential truths that would be at home in a Samuel Beckett play. ” — Elizabeth Fullerton, ArtNews
The work of David Shrigley effortlessly infuses a comedic sensibility into a serious fine art practice. David Shrigley: Brain Activity showcases the diversity of the artist’s work — seemingly amateurish, crude drawings, sculptures made of unusual materials, and installations characterized by incongruities of scale—offering insightful and often surreal commentary on the absurdities of life, death and everything in between. Irreverent and mischievous, Shrigley’s art presents the kind of odd scenarios you never come across in real life, but wish you did.
Based in Glasgow, Shrigley is best known for his pared-down drawings and animations that make witty, wry and deadpan observations on a range of everyday subjects and situations. Shrigley’s doodles have a lightness that belies their incisiveness; he has developed his own unique comic aesthetic that speaks equally to popular culture and fine art, yet remains unexpectedly amusing and easily accessible. Other exhibition highlights include a selection of films and a well-known series of photographs featuring discreet interventions that the artist has orchestrated in various landscapes and interiors, injecting comedic irony into otherwise everyday banal imagery.
David Shrigley: Brain Activity, curated by Cliff Lauson of the Hayward Gallery, London, is the largest survey of the artist’s work to date, and features groupings of drawings and paintings on paper, a variety of sculptures, several installations, sets of photographs and a selection of animations.
Organized by Hayward Gallery, London; Curated by Cliff Lauson
About the Curator
Cliff Lauson is the curator at the Hayward Gallery, London. He received his BA in English Literature from The University of British Columbia in 2001, and his MA in 2004 and his PhD in 2009 in Art History from University College London. Recent exhibitions include Tracey Emin (Love Is What You Want), Ernesto Neto (The Edges of the World), and Ron Terada (Ron Terada: Who I Think I Am). He has also written for Art Monthly, Vitamin D: New Perspectives in Drawing and Fillip.