Artist David Shrigley: “You’re on the right track if you’re excited about what you’re doing.”

Louisiana Channel
Louisiana Channel
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Published 2016-04-19
“You’re on the right track if you’re excited about what you’re doing.” Artist David Shrigley, known for his humorous spin on common situations, here advises his young colleagues to be open to learning from mistakes and stresses that being an artist “isn’t for everybody.”

Drugs and alcohol should be kept apart from the art making process: “If you’re well-rested, sober and well-fed, you can usually trust your instincts about what you’re doing.” Moreover, it’s important to remember that making art isn’t always fun: “It’s not like eating cake or something that’s really sensually pleasurable. It does require hard work … and you can work hard and still not make art that’s any good.”

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
All Comments (21)
  • @FishingtonBurpPuzzle
    This guy is so balanced, no nonsense and mentally disciplined. His work looks like everything is thrown together without thinking or caring, yet at the heart of it is some profound or hilarious truth.
  • @Kvasiraz
    As I say, love what your doing more than what you're creating. Your creations come and go but the process is what's always there.
  • @sheldondrake8935
    someone once told me 'i hate painting but I can't stop doing it'. understood. a long skitter of dread and desire that ends with a brief clang of the bell, then you have to do it again...
  • @marwanb3
    "Making art is not like eating cake" <3
  • @Rufusdos
    I like his voice. I'm a university linguistics person with a specialisation in pronunciation. David Shrigley and Matthew Paris are my favourites for RP, among men.
  • @JohnsArtLife
    Do what YOU love, if all else fails, at least you loved what you did. 😊
  • @gayedavies2797
    There is no hurry....if you live life too fast ....you grow old fast.......I am 59 and I struggle with my tiny space but I will get it done....I work hard sometimes and other times I suffer.....I learn by doing ......
  • @socialdistance.forever4744
    Very good advice. You are not a selfish artist and your words very honest. I like what you said about smoking weed🤣🤣🤣👍. No I don't smoke.
  • @raebraebla
    1:55 ‘I don’t think you have to make any big decisions until you are 30 anyway.’ 😱 Omg me panicking here after just turning 30. Save me
  • @dimitrilikissas
    Sometimes being in the studio is a chore. I loved to work on a painting, there's the excitement of seeing the finished piece, but I can't spend too long on it because then it's a drag and it becomes a job. I don't want a job.