Everything That is Bad About Art | Artist David Shrigley | Louisiana Channel
“One tends to think of oneself as being somewhat more functional and dynamic than one actually is.” Join the incomparable David Shrigley for a thorough and humorous talk about making art that some people think is absolute rubbish.
David Shrigley, known particularly for his naïve, yet poignant works on paper, started drawing “because I had a lot to say and I could say it very quickly and efficiently.” Often working small-scale at the beginning of his career, Shrigley’s first books were made while the artist was employed as a gallery assistant minding the exhibitions and, in his own words, “being paid to take care of other people’s work. There was a certain irony or paradox there.” Incidentally, the drawings in these books were often about Shrigley’s own boredom: “In a way, they were paying me to make art about how pissed off I was working for them.”
Today Shrigley’s work revolves around what the artist calls “slippage”: “I’m interested in the way image and text works together … I try to make images that don’t illustrate text and text that doesn’t describe the image.” His work is a proposition to which there will be different answers. The worst, he says, is if people find it boring: “Saying it’s rubbish is fine! But saying it’s boring, I guess that’s pretty damning criticism.”
David Shrigley (b. 1968) is a British visual artist, perhaps best known for his distinctive drawing style and works that make satirical comments on everyday situations and human interactions. Shrigley works across a range of media including large-scale installation, animation, painting, photography, music and sculpture. He has held solo exhibitions at venues such as Stephen Friedman Gallery in London, Galerie Yvon Lambert in Paris, Transmission Gallery in Glasgow and Galleri Nicolai Wallner in Copenhagen, and his works are included in prominent collections internationally, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Art Institute of Chicago and National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. In 2013, Shrigley was a Turner Prize nominee. He is based in Brighton, England. For more about him see: www.davidshrigley.com/
David Shrigley was interviewed by Christian Lund at Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen in January 2016 in connection to his exhibition ‘Coloured Works on Paper’.
Camera: Simon Weyhe
Edited by: Klaus Elmer
Produced by: Christian Lund
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2016
Supported by Nordea-fonden
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When I was a young girl I filled art journals with fashion drawings. There were about 30 filled books when I left for university. Spring break I came home only to discover my mum had thrown out all of my art journals. When I asked her where they were she said, ‘’ I don’t know. You must have thrown them out. ‘’ Years later as an adult, married with children I sewed clothing and made Quilts. In this last decade I’ve been making portraits in oil and watercolor paintings of children and fashion women. All this is to say, I didn’t let my mum destroy my desire to create. If I’m not making art I feel melancholy to depressed and anxious. I loved your interview.
It’s good to hear that you are working at what makes you happy. I have to tell myself lots of encouraging things to keep me going. I’ve been painting for about a year. I’m 59 and I had no idea what some of my emotions looked like before putting paint and collage on paper and canvas.
I would be sooo sad. I’m so sorry. I have a handful of completed art journals & I know how important they are to me.
You're not alone and either kindda history, I'm with you by ALL, anxiety, depression, I was drinking 20 y eras nowara mean? Those last 11 sober years has been helped me to read conectividad everything on me, inside, about art...I'm graffiti artist since 1985 crime since ever, but nowadays admires and paying 4 that people who use still juices, my mom 1st.place to push across school *ss hole system and jailed me 4 paint around town, bandalism and create a crew very most popular EITHER ,THC. I'm making art 4 me you know, cuz I see videos and I feel not good enough, you know. But also, those on videos, making exactly that, filming graffiti.... Daz not and Daz not me. I hope you, who else read this and feel me, from far away, empathy. Peace out, word! 🤘💀
Wtf why would she throw away your art journals?! That's so horrible! How was their existence hurting her! I'm sorry, I felt so angry on your behalf when I read that. I'm sorry that happened to you and I'm glad it didn't suppress your desire or confidence to make the things you want to make!
@@youdontneedtoreadthis Some moms are like that. They just don't give one fuck.
I'm glad his parents finally understood what he was doing and why. I wish I'd had that experience. I was a reporter for 30 years. I wrote some incredible stories. Never won any awards but people would bump into me and tell me they remembered one of my stories years after they'd read them. Or I'd hear someone say, "I read a story by Brenda Sullivan in the Courant yesterday." This meant something to me because most of the time, people would say, "I read something in the paper the other day," or "I read a story in the New York Times," but they almost never remembered who wrote it. So, I was a kind of big fish in a small pond. Did my own family ever read my stories? No. Did they interrupt me and change the subject at the dinner table during holidays when I would start to talk to guests about something I was excited about writing? Often. But most painful of all was when, following a funeral for my sister's mother-in-law, in which they read a beautiful eulogy my sister had written, my mother said to my sister -- in front of me and several other people -- "how nice to have a writer in the family." At that point, I'd been writing for a living for 30 years. I also taught writing, had some of my poetry published in anthologies, was a published/paid photographer, and was the first one in my family to graduate from university. None of which was a point of pride for my mother. Off and on, I also made all kinds of art throughout my life, but never thought of myself as an artist. Now, during two years of pandemic isolation, I've taken more than 800 hours of art classes online and have produced tons of drawings, paintings, collage and other work. None of which did my mother see because she died in a nursing home just before Christmas in 2020. In a way, I'm glad she didn't see my work, because I don't think she would have acknowledged or appreciated it as art. I think so many people making art, whether or not they consider themselves to be artists, can tell similar stories of disappointment. But luckily, we keep making art anyway.
I’m so sorry that you faced that sort of reaction, but it’s very inspiring to hear you never gave up on what you loved doing and you continued to believe in your own abilities ❤️ thank you so much for sharing this and I hope you keep creating art you love
The indifference stems from a deep jealousy and their lack of drive to find their own way. These people are haunted from the inside and only see the world through the lens of news media. Never able to stop and consider what might mean a lot to someone because they've never done the same for themselves. Basically, ingrates.
Common experience with career artists. Don't be sad, they don't need to understand, and it can't be taken away from you whether acknowledged or not.
what his parents understood is that hes making money
keep striving to make art
Me Too - no support during my life even though it meant everything to me and I got a powerful message "you can't make any money that way" So at 75 I am still struggling to overcome that message. I have not given up though and my art is my saving grace. I do it almost every day. I am self taught and certainly an outsider. I also never received a complimentary remark from my own father and grandmother who had control of my life at a crucial age. My maternal grandparents were supportive in my early years as well as my mom. I think that being a girl in the fifties did not help the situation. This man, however is telling my story except that he is enjoying more public success. Good for him!.
hell yeah i love to hear that keep on making what you need to get out!!!
Have you tried posting your work on the internet? If you keep doing it consistently you’ll eventually find people who like your work and are willing to support your work financially
I feel you. 💔
My definition of an artist: someone who made art today.
Does art need to make money? Is that the justification for it? For most people its therapy and enjoyment and theres no shame in that
"If I don't do it, I'm not very happy." I feel this, I quit art as a career 20 years ago and stopped making art altogether very soon after. And it's gradually changed (for the worse) so much about how I feel about, perceive and interact with the world, and you don't realize what's happened until you start analyzing your relationship with after two decades away.
i wish people were as quick to experiment with creating as they were with judging the art that doesn't resonate with them
this should be printed alongside every turner prize nomination ever
There are cosmically more people with functioning bullshit detectors, than can ever be really creative.
Yes
“If you put the hours in, the work will make itself.”
I would say it was everything wrong about the art world rather than art. I found what the guy said more interesting than his work. Especially when he explained how his work only became something in his parents eyes when they made a documentary on channel 4 about him. Hence only when fame and money comes does the art have value. Validation of the market means success - and that, in my opinion is what is bad about the art world - and that affects the evolution of art itself.
Yeah. He’s a hack. He’s relying on text to convey his narrative. It’s lazy. He’s a writer. Not a painter
I think that art is highly valued in society and that there's truly nothing wrong with art in itself, but the real issue is that people struggle with values because of our system of capital interest and that "corrupts" the art. Art reflects the capitalist struggle, at least in the frame of creating art while being bound to capitalism and its order, its relevance.
Very correct! I was thinking the same thing!
@@annsuo3398 Totally agree with you. It is that specific point I have been trying to get across to people for a long time - you explained it very succinctly.
@@nokiot9 artist either way
modern art is so interesting. looking at this guy's stuff i'm like "oh that's so bad, that's pointless" and then all of a sudden "that's hilarious, i love that", "that's so relatable", "i want that on my wall". and it's always like this. when you go look at some classical art it's always like "oh, that's quite nice", over and over again, and they're all nice, but the experience is mostly very homogenous. the variation makes it exciting.
i'm glad you had that experience. shrigley's art is ideas not images, but once you get the ideas, the images are brilliant.
I realize the irony of people who hate on modern art for being non-masterful or childlike, but having that reaction is the exact point of its worth. Whether you love it or hate, it makes you think a lot harder than classical art.
@@dustyoldhat well put!
You know what? I wasn't a massive fan of David's work when I started to watch this but he has changed my view on his work and his approach. I love his humility and relaxed approach. I even like some of the work. Ace. Thank you.
He is not so humble. He has been quoted as saying, "They didn't appreciate my genius."
@@jdc9023 I can only assume he was being ironic, given the naivety of his work.
This melancholy soundtrack made all of this feel quite intense. Not my kind of style but I love how David wasn't too intellectual/precious about the work. He just makes art. Simple as that.
Showed this to my kids and they flipped out. They knew this guy got it and said he was now their favorite artist and wanted to meet his kids.
Pretty nice watching his explanations about his work. Seems so calm and easy going with his process. Not a trace of conflicts and usual crazyness related to creation. As an artist, I´m very pleased to see that theres no need going to the edge of sanity to make art. My soul got a bit more glee... for now.
It’s because he is relying on text to convey his message. He doesn’t have to experiment and fail a bunch of times trying to convey his narrative through color and shape alone. So of course he doesn’t have any of the “craziness” of creation. It’s lazy. It’s contrived.
@@nokiot9 make sense
@Tommy Ohlrich that is some esoteric stuff. Maybe you could explain in more detail how his shapes and lines are unable to convey narratives because your comment seemed like just a whole bunch of words that are trying to sound lofty and knowing
@@ph-vf5hx for example. The thumbnail is just a blue skull in an empty plain without the caption. Very few will connect baby blue with ironic happiness or covering that you’re sad. Without the words the narrative about depression and coping is completely lost.
@@nokiot9 I understand what you are saying but I don't look at this artist as lazy or a phoney. He's been at it for a long time and he has his own specific style and approach. It would be incredibly boring if we stuck to ideas dogmatically.
Such simple, profound, and funny work! Thanks for introducing me to David's work.
i find him quite brilliant, he is very sincere and he has this particular humor that i really liked simple but amazing
I’m so happy to have seen this video today for a variety of reasons. As an artist myself I totally get everything David is saying. And I’m super happy his parents are about to see him do his thing and be successful. This was a fascinating and beautifully put together video presentation .
A very interesting talk. Not rubbish at all.
Art & take it or Leave it
I can't tell if you're being serious or not...
I think it is rubbish to
I LOVE these. I love this channel. There isn't enough GOOD content about Art. I am grateful for you!
David's drawings are funny and sometimes incredible sad. That makes his art wonderful. Nuff said.
You prolly dont care but does any of you know a trick to get back into an instagram account? I somehow forgot the login password. I would love any tricks you can offer me.
@Brodie Alexander instablaster =)
They are only funny because they are shit, sad for the same reason.
Very likeable and easy to listen to. Every picture is like a little nuance. I love the relationship between the text and image, that they together are something, not echoing or duplicating each other Thank you
step 1: painting anything like a frog. step 2: write something like "the sky is falling" in red text. step 3: big money
@@benksy96 someone got offended i guess? lovely
@@benksy96 You've cracked the code! You must be worth loads of dosh, then
Loved this. Love David's honesty. Thank you.
What I love most here and with David Shrigley is the encouragement of maneuvering around certainty or conclusion.
DAVID I LOVE YOUUUUUUU YOU INSPIRED ME TO MAKE ART AND CARE LESS AND I LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU
This is refreshing to listen to ,very honest ,the pictures are humorous and simple ,so much art is over complicated ,amazing that he’s kept the child like essence in his work and how he has stayed so young looking ,there’s a lesson to be learnt there .
It would be refreshing if he could do complicated art. 90% of the art he makes relies on bold text slapped onto the canvas to tell his viewer how they should feel. It’s intellectually lazy and patronizing
@@nokiot9 "to tell his viewer how they should feel"? How so?
I remember as a young artist, my Dad saying to me, 'why don't you paint things people like'? Seemed like a common sense question at the time. I think I got a bit defensive, but it has given me much humor over following years. Bless his socks.
refreshing - love his work !
Fascinating. His work reminds me of those fantastically witty and visually creative Polish posters/art.
i love your work. simple, interesting, profound. thanks.
His parents' reactions towards people buying artworks or the fact that there're possibilities to start a career as an artist reminds me of mine. My parents would never appriciate arts cause they think they are useless. Of course it's the social phenomenon anyway.
Kari Olson Me Too - no support during my life even though it meant everything to me and I got a powerful message "you can't make any money that way" So at 75 I am still struggling to overcome that message. I have not given up though and my art is my saving grace. I am self taught and certainly an outsider.
his art genuinely sparked a mindset shift in my life. I was eating alone in a restaurant in london on a solo trip, and he had an exhibition of probably 100-150 pieces of his work. I was scared to sit for an afternoon tea alone for 2 hours but the joy his absurdist art gave me made it one of my favorite moments during that trip. I’ve never enjoyed being by myself so much because I felt like I was being entertained by his work. It’s been years and I think about his art all the time. If it was the only art in my home, I’d be my happiest self
Super good interview. Thank you!
Your work is AMAZING. Thanks for the honesty and clarity in the work and the cool and inspiring interview. I have a pink matches box edition piece of yours from quite a while back.
I think art means whatever it means to an individual and there are enough individuals for what anybody makes to be understood or relevant to some group of people.
I’m trying to make money from art, 22.. Things have been going fairly well for me and I have been trying to understand why I’m not being supported fully by my rents. I think sometimes it’s not about their financial doubts, I think they worry about the inconsistency of an artists lifestyle. It can be pretty unhealthy.
I liked the narrative of his process of drawing and reflections on making art.
Interesting reflections on how image and text work together - but for me its this very simple way of drawing an impression and somehow turn it into a visual emotional state that is both longing, loving, ironic, humorous and much more -
Really nice. Simplistic but heavy at the same time. No unnecessarities, serious and funny at the same time, humble guy aswell
Simply brilliant !
What an amazing down to earth person, thank you for sharing your view of life, so that we may better view our own.
Good comment! I was going to sit down to make comments responding to everyone and now I feel weird, foolish and otherworldly.
I’m was the opposite, my father, a builders labourer with no art background or appreciation of art tried very hard to convince me to go to art college but I didn’t have confidence in my own creativity. I’m an engineer 😂, 54 years old, I still dabble and it brings me great joy. I ensured my own children followed their passions in college, studying Architecture and Creative writing. Who wants a 40 year, wealthy but depressed dentist for a son/daughter.
if people lived by any core values, the world would be a better place 💯
Love the nothing drawing..his attitude is authentic..feel it..very refreshing..☀☀💝
I have been painting for years. And have even sold some of my art. Not for high prices but I have sold some art. I recently moved near my mother to be able to care for her. Her house is like 11 minutes away from mine. I recently did an art piece that I consider to be one of my most beautiful ones. I took a picture of it to show my mom. I didn't bring the original artwork to her house I just showed her a picture that I took of it. And she looked at me stunned and said, You know how to paint? No, she doesn't have Alzheimer's or dementia.
The thing about making work even if you don’t want to and putting the hours in is very important.
Just want to say Louisiana Channel is the best. Much love strangers keep creating
Thank you for shaing your art, I honestly don't know what I would do if there were not artists in this world. Truly.
the background / interlude music makes this way more intense
Great video and very interesting work
Brilliant simple guy
Excellent video, I do like and appreciate this artist’s work 👍👍
The work is so funny! And... it surprised me...! It is so lovely to be surprised. I also thought that the music was WONDERFUL. (I complain about background music ad nauseam, but THIS was just perfect). I love that David just talked and talked and talked and told us everything he told us. Yes! I too have a horror of boring people. This show was anything but boring! I didn't expect to like it, or be particularly interested, but I WAS! And each piece made me want to see the next. THAT is what's important. What a great discovery. Thank you!!
I see this work. I like this work. I ask myself why I like this work. Over and over. Then he explains the “slip” between word and pictures…lightbulb.
Funny how money, i.e., security, can change how much someone does or doesn't "like" something.... ;)
Love the Art, and to anybody that does not like it . That,s ok, rember one thing Art is a vast world of diffrent way,s of looking,makeing,crecting, and using one,s own percreption in stye,form,medium,,,This is what i Love about Artist and being an Artist myself, .
I really enjoyed this. Thank you!
what is wrong with you? or are you just a conformist?
David Shrigley has a piece in a sculpture park down the road from where I live, it's a monumental scale granite rectangular prism that looks a lot like a massive gravestone, with very serious-looking capital serif font engraving on one face that reads like a grocery list - BANANAS SOCKS MUSTARD TITANIUM WHITE
so bloody relaxing
His brilliant. His humor is everything
i guess the one thing i regret is not going to art school, even if for a little bit, had to start working right away. it's a common theme running through most of the artists that have inspired me. dig your works david.
its not all that these days
It’s never too late. Older the better I think, people go to university too early in my opinion
David is the funniest artist i have ever seen … an one of my fav
Excellent in every way
Thanks a lot for your videos
If Shrigley can become a successful multi millionaire artist, any other artist can potentially do the same... Hustle and presentation has a lot to do with an artist success and not just how well you may paint or draw.
I agree. I also think its who you know. Not what you know.
He's not so much an "artist" as a graphic designer churning out minimalist "ideas" and marketing marketing marketing. R Crumb sang it best, "got myself a canvas and a gallon of paint, five minutes work is gonna make me a saint! Baby, I'm a Fine Arteest, and maybe I deserved to be kissed!"
@@hurdygurdyguy1 yeah the level of ignorance of his career trajectory is absolutely hilarious. for those of us around in the mid-90s when he broke out and actually understand why his work resonated at the time. it's fucking hilarious how stupid you all sound who only know art through the internet.
100% agree... Shirgley is absolutely everything that is wrong with the art world... him and Koons
Facts
I like this guy and his sense of humor hehe
It's fun. I'm not comparing but was reminded of Guston. Meant as a compliment.
he seems really down to earth :-)
The banality of this work eludes me but i am happy for his success & large audience of admirers.
this part is fucking amazing. i love it i found a book of his when i was in highschool, but didn't think much of it back then. i think i understand it now
Sometimes, parents take a while to come around. For whatever reason. I’m a parent of 4 & I’ve had to come around on 4 occasions. ☺️☺️
Your works are funny and witty. Like a Charlie Chaplin comedy.
This is incredible, thanks for sharing
I have been going through a very long artist's block due to grief, physical trauma and protracted litigation but seeing this work I am thoroughly convinced I should take up my brushes again as I couldn't possibly produce anything worse than this absolute shit.
Best attitude
yeah you sound exactly like the kind of person who would end up in "protracted litigation" - what a piece of shit personality you must have.
Will This be considered David’s New Yorker cartoon period? Interesting pleasant fellow.
He reminds me a lot of Keith Haring in his approach
jealous of his simple basic art. i don't think its exceptional at all but i appreciate it i guess. we need to keep humor and self expression alive so we don't become robots. it will distinguish us from the coming AI robots.
You have to be born under the right star to make a living from your art. Not all of us who spent years making art, going to art school get coverage for our art. It's a hard world to navigate. Lucky boy!
Some of it IS absolute rubbish; but good on him that he’s found an audience / carved a niche. Good on him 🌠❤🔥🌠
If we’re being honest a lot of this looks verbatim back-of-binder doodlings from any average angst teenager circa mid-90s. I know this bc I lived it. And that’s fine, but there’s a real absurdity in these art gallery scenes. Always wonder why artists allow themselves to fall for this arbitrary, cynical tradition predominantly for storing $$$ value. Doodle away, but don’t take yourself too seriously.
"Excesses of advanced capitalism"
you simply don't get it. you were not around when his work broke out and he resonated. he was coming up when the YBA were making huge overblown expensive bullshit and going straight to million dollar gallery shows. You probably don't even know what that means. so much fucking ignorance about the art world in this comments section. sad..
Just curious, what do you for a living?
My main form of art is doodling and I think it’s shit, I tag my work as #scheissekunst because they’re bad art …..but some people like it and I’ve sold some bits. Art is subjective just like beauty. What ever sparks joy 🎀
I feel Davids struggle. With art, with existence/order and chaos of things itself. How it's hard to value your creation without recognition, support. Be it emotional, capital, whatever.
Ahhh, another one for the asmr nite nite list. tah...
KZhead should enable 4X speed.
Very funny and inspiring
David is one of my favorite artist alive
very original
Rock On David !! :)
Put it out & some people buy it- your a working artist. He had a gallery full of scribbles & passing thoughts. Good gig if you want. I did laugh at some images w/ funny words to explain them.
spoken like a tru artist
'I think your work evolves'....Man I would hate to see how bad this was 20 yrs ago..I know and love what I like instantly and this work just doen't make me feel anything other than thinking how smart he is to be able to sell this lazy tat to ppl who are obviously seeing something I'm not...We have a similar thing in the graff world - super basic crap with no real style thats called 'euro trash' but enough ppl who can't paint can have a go so it becomes a 'thing'
you are kind of just an ignoramus. you don't understand the art world that he evolved out of, as an outsider at first, making zines that critiqued the art world and life in general. he's been around for over two decades making work that makes creative thinking curious people laugh and reflect. you're a simpleton.
this guys art is hilarious. i like him.
I love his work- innocent, honest and all. He’s probably on the spectrum of course and that’s ok- “not that there’s anything wrong with that”
why would you make that kind of assumption. he's actually not. wow.
It's so desperately sad that people think that ONLY THINGS THAT MAKE MONEY have value. It's the poison of the small mind and the shriveled heart.
Where is the recycling center David is using ? :-)
I think I'll become an artist!
This man really sounds like David Shrigley! Which is weird because I thought David Shrigley was David Bowie. When Bowie died it made sense that Shrigley would keep on working because I thought David Jones, the human, was alive and had just killed his character David Bowie but kept on doing work as his other character, David Shrigley. I'm having second thoughts here.
wtf
He is a genius
Oh my God you are so English... listening to you is very calming.
I hope to get featured on here one day 🤞🏾
Wonder where the Shrigley recycling centre is...
11:36 oof I feel attacked.
they threw away all his stored art from art school: : i have saved my then-very young son's art and stored it even, for the day when he appreciates how good it is.