PREVIEW: David Shrigley-What The Hell Was I Thinking?

David Shrigley is best known for his distinctive drawing style and works that make satirical comments on everyday situations and human interactions. His quick-witted drawings and hand-rendered texts are typically deadpan in their humour and reveal chance utterings like snippets of over-heard conversations. While drawing is at the centre of his practice, Shrigley also works across an extensive range of media including sculpture, large-scale installation, animation, painting, photography and music. Shrigley consistently seeks to widen his audience by operating outside the gallery sphere, including producing artist publications and creating collaborative music projects.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Kunsthal Rotterdam

With his comic drawings, absurdist installations and sharp observations, David Shrigley  offers a humorous yet critical perspective on life and the art world. In the exhibition “What the Hell Was I Thinking?”, Shrigley turns that gaze onto himself for the first time, giving visitors a glimpse inside his mind. Throughout the exhibition, he adds commentary with witty observations in which he critically examines both society and his own work. The exhibition reveals how he looks back at earlier works, re-stages ideas, and creates space for doubt. For Shrigley, being an artist is not about lofty genius, but about a process full of experimentation and reflection.

For Kunsthal Rotterdam, Shrigley brings together and reimagines a wide selection of his absurdist works. Fifty new drawings, created especially for the exhibition, depict animals, people and everyday situations in Shrigley’s characteristic satirical style. In addition, a three- metre-tall animatronic life model and horseshoes made from actual meteorite give shape to his peculiar universe. For the first time, a collection of his inflatable sculptures will be presented together – including the iconic Swan Thing, in which the elegant bird morphs into a cartoonish figure.

Playfulness and futility collide in works such as “Fluff War” – an arena where tufts of fluff battle within the space and competition loses all meaning – and “Topple the Anvil”, a fairground-like game first created by Shrigley for Banksy’s infamous “Dismaland” in 2015. Here, visitors are challenged to knock a heavy anvil off its pedestal with a ping pong ball: an impossible task that mocks expectation and highlights the humour of failure.

The exhibition also highlights Shrigley’s unique relationship with his audience. A monumental wall displays photos of fans who have had his drawings tattooed on their skin – evidence of the cult status his work has achieved far beyond the art world.

The result is classic Shrigley: works that surprise, make you smile and prompt reflection all at once. Developed in close collaboration with the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, “What the Hell Was I Thinking?” reveals the full spectrum of Shrigley’s razor-sharp imagination.

Photo left: Photo by David Shrigley. Photo right: David Shrigley, Big pussy wants his dinner, 2025

Info: Kunsthal Rotterdam, Museumpark, Westzeedijk 341, Rotterdam, The Netharlands, Duration: 13/12/2025-3/5/2026, Days & Hours: Tue-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00, www.kunsthal.nl/