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David Shrigley

David Shrigley is a British visual artist who first came to prominence in the 1990s with his deliberately crude, almost childlike drawings. Combining simple imagery with deadpan text, his work explores absurd, surreal and often darkly humorous observations on everyday life. Alongside his illustration work, Shrigley is also a noted poet, writer, painter, sculptor, filmmaker and photographer.

David Shrigley (b. 1968, Macclesfield, UK) lives and works in Brighton. Over the past three decades, his work has been exhibited extensively at leading galleries and institutions across the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and East Asia. A major retrospective, Brain Activity, was held at London’s Hayward Gallery in 2012 and led to his nomination for the 2013 Turner Prize. His work is held in numerous museum collections, including Tate and MoMA.

David Shrigley, Untitled, 2022, acrylic on paper, 76 x 56 cm

More than anything else I know I need to laugh at things.

David Shrigley

Biography

Education

  • 1987

    Leicester Polytechnic, Leicester, UK

  • 1988 - 1991

    Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, UK

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2026

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

    De Brock, Knokke, Belgium

  • 2025

    Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK

  • 2024

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

  • 2023

    Triennial at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia

    Oxfam Books & Music, 34 Castle Street, Swansea, UK

  • 2022

    Galerie Francesca Pia, Zurich, Switzerland

    K Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea

  • 2021

    Gyre, Tokyo, Japan (with Teppei Kaneuji)

    Collection Lambert, Avignon, France

    Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK

  • 2020

    Yumiko Chiba Associates, Tokyo, Japan

    Copenhagen Contemporary, Denmark

    Jiri Svestka Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic

  • 2019

    Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA

    Newstead Abbey Historic House & Gardens, Nottinghamshire, UK

    Museo de arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City, Mexico

    Art Omi, Ghent, New York, USA

    Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Two Rooms, Auckland, New Zealand

  • 2018

    Power Station of Art & Design, Shanghai, China

    Fabrica, Brighton, UK

    Deste Foundation Project Space, Hydra, Athens, Greece

    Spritmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden

  • 2017

    Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA

    Yumiko Chiba Associates, Tokyo, Japan

    Skip Gallery, London, UK

    Hall Art Foundation, Reading, UK

  • 2016

    Trafalgar Square, London, UK (2016 - 2018)

    Printemps en Septembre, Toulouse, France

    Rose Art Museum, Waltham, MA, USA

    MAC, Santiago, Chile

    Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK

    BQ, Berlin, Germany

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

  • 2015

    Instituto Cultural Cabanas, Guadalajara, Mexico

    Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA

    Two Rooms, Auckland, New Zealand

  • 2014

    Sketch, London, UK (2014 - 2018)

    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

    Pinakothek, Munich, Germany

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

  • 2013

    Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA

    BQ, Berlin, Germany

  • 2012

    Hayward Gallery, London, UK

    Stephen Friedman, London, UK

    YBCA, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

  • 2011

    BQ, Berlin, Germany

    Yvon Lambert, Paris, France

    Turku Art Museum, Finland

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

  • 2010

    Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow, UK

    Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA

    Museum M, Leuven, Belgium

  • 2009

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Galerie Francesca Pia, Zurich, Switzerland

    Kunsthall, Bergen, Norway

    Kunsthall, Mainz, Germany

  • 2008

    BQ Galerie, Cologne, Germany

    Ludwig Museum, Cologne, Germany

    Baltic, Gateshead, England

    CASM, Barcelona, Spain

    Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA

  • 2007

    CAB, Burgos, Spain

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Malmo Konsthalle, Malmo, Sweden

    Stephen Friedman, London, UK

  • 2006

    Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris, France

    DCA, Dundee, UK

    Neils Borch Jensen Gallery, Berlin, Germany

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

  • 2005

    BQ Galerie, Cologne, Germany

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA

  • 2004

    Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris, France

    Stephen Friedman, London, UK

    Francesca Pia, Bern, Switzerland

  • 2003

    Galerie Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

    BQ Galerie, Cologne, Germany

    Kunsthaus, Zurich, Switzerland

  • 2002

    Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA

    Domaine de Kerguehennec, France

    Camden Arts Centre, London, UK

    UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA, USA

  • 2001

    Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris, France

    CCS Museum, Bard College, New York, NY, USA

    Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK

  • 2000

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

  • 1999

    Francesca Pia, Bern, Switzerland

    Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris, France

    Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK

  • 1998

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Bloom Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris, France

  • 1997

    Hermetic Gallery, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    CCA, Glasgow, UK

    Francesca Pia, Bern, Switzerland

    Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK

    Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Photographers' Gallery, London, UK

  • 1996

    Catalyst Arts, Belfast, Northern Ireland

  • 1995

    Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, UK

Selected images

Exhibitions