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David Shrigley: ‘Self-delusion is quite important if you want to be an artist’

Artist David Shrigley, master of all things darkly comic, has a new book out is curating this year’s Brighton festival. Here he answers questions from our readers and famous fans

“I actually almost always have a nap at 2.30pm,” says David Shrigley, as we sit down in an upstairs room, a jug of water and a plate of chocolate digestives between us, at Graphica gallery in Brighton. I check my watch: it’s five to two. “It’s not going to work today,” he sighs. “But this isn’t really work, this is just blah blah blah, it’s easy. The hard thing is writing things in the studio and thinking of stuff that’s interesting.”

An afternoon nap might sound indulgent, but it is hard to fault 49-year-old Shrigley’s work ethic. An excellent new book is imminent: Fully Coherent Plan for a New and Better Society features 254 new illustrations, all drawn in his distinctive thick black pen on stark white paper, the naivety of the image offset by the scabrous, surreal or darkly comic text. He’s also the guest director of the 2018 Brighton festival (he moved to Brighton three years ago with his wife, Kim, and miniature schnauzer Inka, after 27 years in Glasgow). Shrigley has been involved in selecting performers for the festival – which features everything from art to comedy to music to a lot that is indescribable – and will be making several appearances himself.

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from Culture | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Kmr2ht
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