Viewing room

Copenhagen Prints

David Shrigley

Jealous East

16 May 2024 — 01 Jun 2024

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Celebrating 20 years of collaboration between artist David Shrigley and printmaker Michael Schäfer, 'Copenhagen Prints' is the UK debut of a collection of over forty works made together throughout this time.

The exhibition is an opportunity to see the large archive of works created during their collaborative years, as well as some of the original plates and tools that were used to create these works.

‘Copenhagen Prints’ is a showcase a variety of monochromatic prints, crafted using traditional printmaking techniques such as etching, woodcut, and lino printing, including fan favourites such as ‘Rights For Goths’, ‘See Me As I Really Am’, as well as new, never-before-seen releases.

I quickly learned that the mark of a pen or a brush on paper is an expression whereas the mark you make on a printing plate is a small, controlled act of violence

David Shrigley

'Copenhagen Prints' will run until the 1st June, at Jealous Gallery, 53 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3PT

David Shrigley and Michael Schäfer have been collaborating for over 20 years in Michael’s workshop in Copenhagen. In this film, we join them for a few days in Michael’s workshop, where they made many artworks and discussed the longevity of pretzels. Over this time, they show the making of etchings, woodcuts, linoprints, and great coffee.

David Shrigley & Michael Schäfer

David Shrigley (b. 1968, UK) is a leading British artist who works across drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, photography, animation and print.
His quick-witted drawings and hand-rendered texts are typically deadpan in their humour and reveal chance utterings like snippets of overheard conversations. Recurring themes and thoughts pervade his storytelling, capturing deliberately two-dimensional views of the world, the perspective of aliens and monsters, or the compulsive habits of an eavesdropper shouting out loud.
Michael Schäfer has been working as a printmaker since 86’. Schäfer took over an old graphical workshop in 2002 located in central Copenhagen. His printing skills, techniques and old printmaking equipment are a rare and unique combination, and he bears the title ‘master printer’.
Schäfer masters both wood- and linocut, as also monotype- and the etching printing method. He’s been teaching at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Design School Kolding, and in Thorshavn in The Faroe Islands.