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David Shrigley Turns His Absurd Comic Eye to 1960s Op Art

The British artist subverts the sleek designs of Op art with his hand-drawn style.

Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Photography: Stephen White.

British artist David Shrigley is known for his black-and-white pen drawings, bursting with absurdity, dark humor, and often a witty line of text. For new exhibition Drawings and Paintings at Stephen Friedman Gallery Shrigley departs from his trademark line drawings and instead paints with acrylic and oil sticks, and in bold colors, too.

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They still retain the artist's eye for satire, though, along with his ability for profundity, albeit slightly peculiar. The paintings depict images that comically and drolly make reference to human nature and everyday life, and they do this by playing on the visual forms of Op art (but, of course, with added tomfoolery).

Instead of the sharp lines and careful perspective tricks, Shrigley's pictures corrupt the 1960s Op art movement—his images look hand-drawn and unsteady, the lines are wiggly, text uneven, and subjects mundane. It's a sendup of the sleekness of design compared to the messy unevenness of our daily lives and petty struggles.

Installation view, ‘David Shrigley: Drawings and Paintings’, Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Photography: Stephen White.

Talking about his style for this exhibition the press release states, "Using oil stick, Shrigley's characteristic line is rendered as though he were drawing with a pencil, but is characterised here by the textured opacity of the material. The brightly-coloured paint, thicker and less controllable than pencil, brings Shrigley's characteristic imaginings into a new dimension. These works undermine the distinction between painting and drawing, having the lightness of touch and deceptive simplicity of his drawing."

Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Photography: Stephen White.

Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Photography: Stephen White.

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Installation view, ‘David Shrigley: Drawings and Paintings’, Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Photography: Stephen White.

As well as this exhibition there is also a touring show of Shrigley's work organised by the British Council called Lose Your Mind, which is traveling to Chile, South Korea, and New Zealand. Shrigley has also been commissioned to create a piece for the Fourth Plinth in London's Trafalgar Square. Shrigley's Really Good will replace Hans Haacke's anti-austerity Gift Horse in September 2016.

Click here to visit David Shrigley's website.

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