David Shrigley|Galleri Nicolai Wallner & Shrig Shop Editions

What joins these editions is who published them rather than a single theme. Galleri Nicolai Wallner has worked with Shrigley since 1996, and in April 2021 Shrigley and his long-term gallerist, Nicolai Wallner, opened Shrig Shop, also in Copenhagen. In his announcement Shrigley wrote: "Together we make posters, clothes, limited editions and other great stuff."

The screenprints

The 21 screenprints made from 2019 onwards share Somerset paper as well as a sheet size, whichever of the two published them, and many were printed at the Jealous print studio in London. Their colour counts vary widely: 'The World' was printed in eight colours, 'Art Will Save The World' and 'It's Ok Not to Like It' in 25 each. Most carry a varnish overlay. 'I'm so Excited', 'Be Yourself Just Be Yourself' and 'Thank You For Keeping Still' have two, and 'I Hate Humans' has none.

Several pair a line of handwritten text with an animal: a shark in 'I Try to be Friendly (Shark)', a horse in 'Witness my Joy' and a green frog in 'Be Yourself Just Be Yourself'.

How they were released

The gallery released its prints one, two or four at a time, by pre-order or, from late 2021, by registration for a raffle. Shrig Shop ran lotteries: buyers registered over two or three days and could sign up only once. Anyone drawn had 24 hours to buy before the print passed to the next name. After the 2023 draw for 'The Biggest Hottest Chilli in the World' and 'Everything is Fine', the prints left over went online at a higher price, first come, first served.

The teapot and the rug

Shrig Shop has also editioned Shrigley's drawings away from paper. 'The Tea Is Alive' is a working bone china teapot, handmade in Stoke-on-Trent and first offered on pre-order in November 2021. Because each one is made by hand, no two are quite alike. The 'I'm Special' rug followed in January 2022, based on a drawing of an oyster that Shrigley made in 2007.

The earlier editions

The earlier editions in this series are portfolios and large single sheets, all published by the gallery. In 2005 it issued two portfolios printed at the Copenhagen workshop of the printer Michael Schäfer: 16 soft-ground etchings and 22 woodcuts. A set of the woodcut portfolio is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the two 'Ten Woodcuts' portfolios followed in 2007 and 2008.

'You Cannot Help Looking At This' (2007) was exhibited that year in 'Everything Must Have a Name' at Malmö Konsthall, his first retrospective in Northern Europe. 'Untitled (Words)' (2008), 'Shit' (2012) and the 2012 lithograph 'Untitled (I Do Not Wish To Be Reminded of The Past)' complete the earlier group. From 2019 the series moves to larger editions in one standard format, sold by pre-order or draw.

At auction

The highest auction result for an edition in this series in the last five years is £7,620, with fees, for 'I Try to be Friendly (Shark)' at Phillips London in January 2024. Eight of the screenprints sold in Phillips' online sale devoted to Shrigley in June 2023, where 'It's Ok Not to Like It' and 'To Hell With Zoos' made £5,334 each and 'Be Kind To Everyone' £4,826, all with fees. Earlier, in June 2021, 'Art Will Save The World' made £5,670 with fees at Phillips London, less than two years after its release.