Im Sorry For Being Awful
Condition reports and provenance available upon request
About This Work
David Shrigley’s *Im Sorry For Being Awful* distils apology into a sharply comic, disquieting confession. Rendered in his characteristically economical line, the composition privileges immediacy over refinement: the hand-drawn image and blunt, misspelt text operate as a single visual proposition, where sincerity and performativity collide. Shrigley’s pared-back draftsmanship—seemingly casual yet meticulously calibrated—amplifies the emotional charge, allowing a few marks to carry disproportionate psychological weight. The work’s visual impact lies in its direct address: it confronts the viewer with a familiar social script, then destabilises it, exposing the awkwardness, guilt, and absurdity embedded in everyday communication. Significant within Shrigley’s wider practice, the piece exemplifies his ability to translate private unease into a universally legible, culturally resonant icon.
About the Artist
David John Shrigley (born 17 September 1968) is a British visual artist. He lived and worked in Glasgow, Scotland for 27 years before moving to Brighton, England in 2015. Shrigley first came to prominence in the 1990s for his distinct line drawings, which often deal with witty, surreal and darkly h...
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Contemporary Art • Hampstead, London
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