I Try To Be Friendly (2022) – David Shrigley Screenprint

About the Work

I Try To Be Friendly (2022) is a striking David Shrigley screenprint that immediately arrests the viewer with its vivid, eleven-colour palette and tactile surface texture. The composition features a wonderfully bizarre, brightly coloured creature set against a contrasting background, paired with the artist's signature hand-rendered typography. Bold primary tones interact with subtle secondary shades, showcasing a level of colour complexity rarely seen in more minimalist graphic works.

Through this awkward, blocky figure, the work offers a poignant yet hilarious piece of social observation regarding the daily anxieties of human interaction. The creature's wide-eyed expression and slightly defensive posture perfectly embody the tension between internal apprehension and the external pressure to appear approachable. By juxtaposing this vulnerable sentiment with an aggressively vibrant colour palette, the print captures the exhausting performance of modern sociability.

David Shrigley

As a Turner Prize nominee and celebrated member of the Royal Academy of Arts, the artist occupies a unique position in contemporary British art. His monumental Fourth Plinth commission in Trafalgar Square cemented his reputation for translating profound existential questions into accessible public statements. Today, his works are held in prestigious institutional collections worldwide, including Tate and the British Council.

At the core of his practice is a devotion to drawing, utilising a deceptively crude aesthetic to dismantle the seriousness of the fine art establishment. Translating these spontaneous ink drawings into high-quality graphic editions allows his dry wit to reach a global audience. Each David Shrigley print acts as a satirical mirror, reflecting the absurdities and anxieties of everyday life with disarming simplicity.

Screenprint Process

Published in a highly restricted release, this premium graphic edition demonstrates an exceptional level of technical production that will appeal to discerning collectors. Utilising eleven distinct ink runs alongside a double varnish overlay, the print possesses a remarkably rich, saturated finish on heavyweight Somerset satin tub sized 410gsm paper. The resulting surface is beautifully tactile, lending a physical depth to the bold graphic fields that contrasts with the seemingly casual draftsmanship.

This demanding screenprinting method is expertly executed by the master printers at Jealous Gallery, ensuring that the final output preserves the raw energy of the original drawing. The deliberate alignment of the layers mimics the artist's quick ink strokes while elevating them through a highly refined, archival medium. Owning a David Shrigley limited edition print of this technical calibre offers an immersive experience of the artist's colour-saturated vision.

Collectability

Acquiring works by the artist has become a cornerstone for contemporary art collectors due to the enduring popularity of his text-and-image compositions. The demand for his most recognisable imagery remains exceptionally strong, driven by his widespread cultural relevance and frequent museum exhibitions. This consistent collector interest ensures that major graphical releases find immediate placement in significant private collections globally.

Representing a major colour work from his highly regarded 2022 printmaking period, I Try To Be Friendly remains a particularly desirable example of his graphic output. The combination of an approachable domestic scale, complex multi-layer printing, and a relatively small edition size makes this work highly sought after on the secondary market. As these pieces increasingly migrate into permanent collections, opportunities to acquire this specific edition become progressively scarce.

Artwork Specifications

• Artist: David Shrigley (British, b. 1968)
• Title: I Try To Be Friendly
• Medium: 11 colour screenprint with a two varnish overlay on Somerset satin tub sized 410gsm
• Dimensions: 75 x 56 cm
• Edition: Edition of 125
• Year: 2022
• Publisher: Galleri Nicolai Wallner
• Markings: Signed, numbered and dated on the back