The Biggest Hottest Chilli In The World (2023) – David Shrigley Screenprint

About the Work

The Biggest Hottest Chilli In The World (2023) is a striking David Shrigley screenprint that immediately commands attention through its vibrant, contrasting palette. A monumental, saturated red chilli with a stark green stem dominates the composition, set against an intensely saturated yellow backdrop. This bold use of colour amplifies the comic hyperbole of the hand-drawn text running along the lower edge of the sheet.

Characterised by a signature sense of absurdity, the work elevates a mundane culinary element into a grand, almost mythic statement of scale and intensity. The deliberate simplicity of the rendering strips away any pretension, leaving the viewer to contemplate the humorous futility of crowning the "biggest" or "hottest" specimen. Through this playful exaggeration, the composition subtly mocks the human instinct to categorise and seek out superlatives in everyday life.

David Shrigley

Nominated for the Turner Prize in 2013, David Shrigley has secured a singular position in contemporary British art through his wry observations and instantly recognisable style. His celebrated public commissions, including the Fourth Plinth sculpture Really Good in London's Trafalgar Square, have cemented his reputation as a vital cultural commentator. His works are held in prestigious international public collections, including the Tate in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Although best known for his rapid, ink-on-paper drawings, the artist has spent decades translating this immediate graphic language into the demanding realm of fine art printmaking. Each David Shrigley print retains the raw, unedited energy of his original sketches while elevated by the rich saturation of the ink. This deliberate tension between casual draftsmanship and formal presentation remains a defining feature of his graphic output.

Screenprint Process

Produced in close collaboration with the renowned Jealous Gallery in London, this edition exemplifies the meticulous standards of contemporary screenprinting. The print studio carefully layered the dense, oil-based inks onto heavy Somerset paper to achieve the flat, opaque quality that gives the composition its arresting visual impact. Each colour field is applied with absolute precision, ensuring that the heavy yellow background and the intense red of the chilli interact without any loss of vibrancy.

This demanding process successfully preserves the delicate imperfections of the artist's original ink lines, ensuring that the text retains its handwritten character. For collectors, acquiring a David Shrigley limited edition print from Jealous Gallery offers direct access to the graphic qualities of his studio practice combined with professional archival execution. The resulting work possesses a physical, tactile presence that digital reproduction simply cannot replicate.

Collectability

Works featuring singular food motifs and bold textual statements have historically generated sustained collector interest within the artist's secondary market. The immediate graphic appeal of The Biggest Hottest Chilli In The World makes it a highly recognisable example of his contemporary output, appealing to both seasoned and emerging collectors. As his international exhibition profile continues to grow, these iconic graphic works remain central to the appreciation of his wider oeuvre.

Representing a major colour work from his celebrated 2023 printmaking period, the piece remains a particularly desirable example of Shrigley's printmaking practice. With a restricted edition size of just 125, this work offers a compelling combination of visual impact and relative scarcity. The established market for his limited releases ensures that compositions of this scale and chromatic intensity continue to be highly sought after globally.

Artwork Specifications

• Artist: David Shrigley (British, b. 1968)
• Title: The Biggest Hottest Chilli In The World
• Medium: 12 colour screenprint with a varnish overlay on Somerset Satin Tub Sized 410gsm paper
• Dimensions: 75 x 56 cm
• Edition: Edition of 125
• Year: 2023
• Publisher: Shrig Shop