David Shrigley
Photo: Craig Gibson
David Shrigley
England born 1968, lived in Scotland 1988–2015, England 2015–
Ground Level
NGV International
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PROJECT
This monumental public sculpture was originally conceived by David Shrigley for the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square, in the immediate aftermath of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, known as Brexit. Characteristic of the self-conscious irony often found in Shrigley’s work, Really good is intended as a satirical gesture, harnessing the capacity of art to critically reflect on the status quo. This monumental and exaggerated version of the universal ‘thumbs up’ also invites consideration of the role of humour when facing challenges in the world around us.
ABOUT
David Shrigley OBE was born in Macclesfield, England, in 1968, and lives and works in Brighton, UK. Working in drawing, animation and artist books, his work is characterised by a satirical light touch. Shrigley graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in 1991. He has published more than forty books and was a finalist in the 2013 Turner Prize following his critically acclaimed retrospective Brain Activity at the Hayward Gallery, London, 2012. He was the subject of David Shrigley: Life and Life Drawing at the NGV in 2014–15. More than 200 original drawings by Shrigley were set within London’s famed Sketch restaurant in dialogue with interior design by Paris- based India Madhavi from 2014. Shrigley was awarded the prestigious Fourth Plinth Commission in Trafalgar Square, London, in 2016.
Courtesy of the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London