Shut Up And Eat Your Fries (2024) – David Shrigley Screenprint

About the Work

Shut Up And Eat Your Fries (2024) is a striking David Shrigley screenprint that juxtaposes a stark, vibrant blue background with a minimalist rendering of a fast-food carton. Featuring bold yellow lettering over a crimson-red box containing pale yellow chips, the composition immediately captures the viewer through its high-contrast, primary palette. The deliberate hand-rendered imperfections of the linework contrast sharply with the flat, saturated fields of colour.

This particular composition utilises Absurdity to dissect the mundane tensions of domestic life and contemporary consumption. By isolating the familiar image of a chips carton and pairing it with a hostile command, the work elevates a trivial dining grievance into a comical monument of frustration. The tension between the cheerful, bright colours and the aggressive imperative text encapsulates the psychological friction characteristic of the artist's celebrated practice.

David Shrigley

As a Turner Prize nominee celebrated for his deadpan humour and satirical observations, the artist has secured a formidable position within contemporary British art history. His public commissions, notably the monumental thumbs-up sculpture Really Good for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, demonstrate an ability to engage diverse audiences on both intellectual and popular levels. Today, his works are held in prestigious institutional collections worldwide, including Tate and the British Council.

This graphic immediacy translates effortlessly from casual sketchbook drawings into the deliberate, tactile realm of fine art multiples. Each David Shrigley print retains the raw energy of the original ink drawing, preserving the shaky contours and organic mistakes that make his aesthetic instantly recognisable. By elevating these throwaway thoughts into formal gallery editions, the artist bridges the gap between high art and everyday commentary.

Screenprint Process

Collaborating with the renowned Jealous Print Studio in London, the production of this edition leverages precise screenprinting techniques to achieve its velvety, ultra-flat surface texture. The process demands meticulous layer-by-layer ink application on heavy smooth wove paper, ensuring that the primary red and blue hues retain their exceptional depth and saturation. A matte varnish overlay is utilised to protect the rich pigment fields while maintaining the dry, tactile finish characteristic of high-quality artist proofs.

This screenprinting method acts as a perfect medium to translate the artist's hand-drawn typography and graphic forms with absolute fidelity. Working closely with the Jealous Gallery master printers allows for the preservation of the delicate, feathered edges of the hand-drawn lettering. Consequently, each David Shrigley limited edition print operates as a highly faithful iteration of his original graphic intent, balancing mechanical production with human touch.

Collectability

Recognisable imagery and text-based wit drive sustained collector interest in the artist's graphic releases, which frequently sell out upon publication. The directness of the graphic style combined with the cultural resonance of the text makes this particular release highly sought after by international acquisitions. As his market continues to mature, these humorous commentaries have become staple acquisitions for modern contemporary collections.

Representing an important text piece from his celebrated 2024 printmaking period, the piece remains a particularly desirable example of the artist's graphic output. With an edition size restricted to just 125, this work commands a strong secondary-market presence due to its limited availability and high visual impact. The enduring demand for his iconic typography drives continued collector interest in this release.

Artwork Specifications

• Artist: David Shrigley (British, b. 1968)
• Title: Shut Up And Eat Your Fries
• Medium: 21 colour screenprint with varnish overlay on Somerset Tub Sized 410gsm paper
• Dimensions: 76 x 56 cm
• Edition: Edition of 125
• Year: 2024
• Publisher: Jealous Gallery