Curatorial notes
Editor: Here we have David Shrigley's Untitled piece. It depicts an elephant standing on a car, rendered in bold black marker on what looks like paper. It strikes me as darkly humorous. What do you make of it? Curator: Consider the accessibility of the materials: marker and paper. This choice democratizes art-making, challenging the elitism often associated with fine art. Shrigley subverts expectations by elevating everyday materials to convey a profound, albeit absurd, message. Editor: That's interesting. So, it's less about what it depicts and more about how it's made and what that says? Curator: Precisely. It prompts us to question the labor involved, the process of creation, and the value we place on art based on its material composition. Editor: I never thought of it that way! Curator: Shrigley’s work invites us to reconsider our understanding of art’s function and its relationship to the material world.
