LOOK AT THIS

David Shrigley A Serious Man

-  Evan Pricco

I’ve had a lot of really weird thoughts that should never leave my head.” This is one of the last musings David Shrigley shares over the course of three conversations taking place over multiple hours, and it’s the first thing you should know about the English-born, Glasgow-trained, and now Brighton-based conceptual artist. He is eminently recognized worldwide for his craft, a deadpan humorist with an irresistible little penchant for morbidity and absurdity. At any point over the last 30 years, we could have spoken to Shrigley about his artwork, but it feels more urgent to speak with him in 2023, as an artist who has managed the social media universe, the contemporary art world, and the occasional foray into interactive art without a compromise or sudden shift of aesthetics. He is who he is.

What I learned over the course of our conversations is that although Shrigley claims to contradict himself, he is quite honest and direct with the trajectory his career has taken. He’s got his dog, someone cleans his paint brushes, he paints five days a week, and about two of those days are great. After a snafu with Zoom and a lost notebook, Shrigley observed that he just might be obsessive-compulsive. Which seemed like a good place to start.

Evan Pricco: How many interviews do you think you have done over the last 30 years?

David Shrigley: A lot? The fact that the video wasn’t working when we first got on wasn’t really bothering me that much. It was the fact that I couldn’t find my little book that I doodle in while I’m on Zoom calls, and I still can’t find it; I have no idea where it is. I’ve actually realized that I’m actually a bit of an obsessive-compulsive.

I would assume you would be a tad obsessivecompulsive.