The Hilarious, Existential Art of David Shrigley

By Emily Temple

June 23, 2012

If you think art isn’t funny, we have some spectacular news for you. David Shrigley, famous for his childlike, often obscene scribbles as well as his irreverent (we’re talking self-aware taxidermy here) sculptures and installations, uses primitive materials and techniques to lay down hilarious, matter-of-fact, and sometimes shattering truths about human existence. Yesterday, the largest survey of the artist’s work to date, David Shrigley: Brain Activity, curated by Cliff Lauson of the Hayward Gallery in London, opened at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Since we’re trapped in New York, we thought we’d use the opportunity to gather a few stellar Shrigley artworks — many from Brain Activity, but some of our personal favorites as well — in a mini exhibition. Click through to experience (or re-experience) the brilliance that is David Shrigley, and let us know what you think in the comments.