David Shrigley's latest installation, 'Yours for £1m!', is a tongue-in-cheek critique of the art world, where a 10-ton mound of discarded marine rope is displayed in a swanky gallery in London's Mayfair. The artist has amassed the massive collection over months, largely from sources such as climbing schools, tree surgeons, offshore wind farms, and scaffolders, which he has then piled into towering mounds. Marine rope destined for landfill makes up most of it.
Shrigley is known for his deadpan visual one-liners – simple paintings with simple phrases or just a bunch of glum, self-deprecating but often funny non-sequiturs. This installation can be seen as an idiom taken too far and a pun taken to its logical conclusion. Essentially, it's a joke that raises questions about the value we place on art.
The artwork itself is visually striking – largely because it looks like any other conceptual art installation. Piles of discarded rubbish have been a common sight in galleries for decades, but this one does it sarcastically and knowingly, almost as if Shrigley is admitting that this is all just a bit ridiculous.
This work raises questions about the financial value we place on art and whether an idea can be worth millions. The artist's intention seems to be poking fun at the notion of spending £1 million on something like 10 tons of old rope, but it also highlights how often art pieces are sold based on their perceived value rather than intrinsic merit.
While Shrigley's approach is disarming and charming, inviting viewers to ponder the conceptual threads within the installation, they're fundamentally just a big mess – untangleable. Despite this, one can't help but admire the simple, uncomplicated beauty of a massive pile of old rope against a backdrop of artistic pretension.
In the end, it's not about delving into the intricate nuances of the artwork or what inspired Shrigley to create it; it's just about appreciating the absurdity and playfulness that comes with seeing someone willing to call something 'art' based solely on its perceived value.
Shrigley is known for his deadpan visual one-liners – simple paintings with simple phrases or just a bunch of glum, self-deprecating but often funny non-sequiturs. This installation can be seen as an idiom taken too far and a pun taken to its logical conclusion. Essentially, it's a joke that raises questions about the value we place on art.
The artwork itself is visually striking – largely because it looks like any other conceptual art installation. Piles of discarded rubbish have been a common sight in galleries for decades, but this one does it sarcastically and knowingly, almost as if Shrigley is admitting that this is all just a bit ridiculous.
This work raises questions about the financial value we place on art and whether an idea can be worth millions. The artist's intention seems to be poking fun at the notion of spending £1 million on something like 10 tons of old rope, but it also highlights how often art pieces are sold based on their perceived value rather than intrinsic merit.
While Shrigley's approach is disarming and charming, inviting viewers to ponder the conceptual threads within the installation, they're fundamentally just a big mess – untangleable. Despite this, one can't help but admire the simple, uncomplicated beauty of a massive pile of old rope against a backdrop of artistic pretension.
In the end, it's not about delving into the intricate nuances of the artwork or what inspired Shrigley to create it; it's just about appreciating the absurdity and playfulness that comes with seeing someone willing to call something 'art' based solely on its perceived value.