David Shrigley, Express My Love, 2014

Express My Love (2014) – David Shrigley Screenprint

About the Work

Express My Love (2014) is a striking David Shrigley lithograph that captures the artist's celebrated approach to text-based conceptual art. Executed in a stark monochrome palette, the composition features hand-rendered black lettering that occupies the centre of an off-white, heavy paper background. The deliberate simplicity of the visual layout directs all focus to the raw, unadorned message, which balances graphic immediacy with a poignant sense of space.

By presenting a deeply personal sentiment in an intentionally unpolished and trembling handwriting, the work explores the profound vulnerability of emotional declaration. Shrigley strips away all romantic sentimentality, leaving behind a raw and exposed statement that feels both deeply intimate and universal. The tension between the bold command of the text and the fragile execution highlights the inherent awkwardness of human connection.

David Shrigley

Nominated for the prestigious Turner Prize in 2013, David Shrigley has secured a prominent position within the global contemporary art landscape. His public commissions, including the acclaimed Fourth Plinth project in London's Trafalgar Square, have brought his distinctive vision to millions of viewers worldwide. Today, his work is held in major international museum collections, including Tate and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The artist's practice translates the immediacy of his daily ink drawings into highly graphic editions. Through this transition, each David Shrigley print retains the urgent, spontaneous quality of the original sketch while elevating it to a formal gallery context. This balance of casual execution and rigorous artistic intent has made his graphic works highly sought after by modern collectors.

Screenprint Process

As a prized release within his broader graphic oeuvre, this edition reflects the meticulous attention to detail that characterises the artist's printmaking projects. Utilizing heavy Somerset paper, the printing process ensures a dense, velvet-like application of black ink that mirrors the rich texture of a traditional screenprint. The precise registration preserves every minor imperfection and tremor in the original line, giving the edition an authentic, hand-drawn feel.

This graphic sensitivity is central to his collaborative work with esteemed print studios and publishers, including Galleri Nicolai Wallner. By utilizing traditional hand-printing techniques, the studio successfully captures the wet-ink spontaneity of his handwriting, replicating the directness of his classic screenprinting style. Acquiring a David Shrigley limited edition print from this period offers collectors an intimate encounter with the artist's primary creative gesture.

Collectability

Works that rely purely on direct textual statements represent some of the most recognisable and coveted examples of the artist's career. The combination of deadpan humour and poignant simplicity ensures sustained collector interest in these text-heavy editions. As his market continues to mature globally, these deceptively simple compositions remain central to his critical and commercial success.

Representing an important text piece from his highly active 2014 publishing period, the work remains a particularly desirable example of Shrigley's graphic output. While many of his screenprints utilise vibrant colour palettes, this minimalist monochrome composition appeals directly to collectors seeking his most refined conceptual statements. Consequently, the piece experiences continued collector interest on the secondary market due to its iconic aesthetic and limited availability.