Deller & Shrigley at the Hayward

Now some may say its just too easy to satirise modern art. In my view, nothing is too easy. So here goes.

The Hayward Gallery is hosting two wonderfully awful exhibitions. The first is "Joy in People" by Jeremy Deller. The fact that Deller is a previous winner of the Turner Prize is a pretty sure indicator of trash. And he doesn't disappoint. A better title for the exhibition might be "Man in Search of an Arts Council Grant". Just a random collection of bits and bobs from someone without sufficient talent to make it as a designer. Photographs, costumes, video, drawings, posters, yes mixed media but not especially good at any of it, which is no doubt why he isn't a photographer, costume designer, cameraman, journalist, graphic designer or anything very much really. It does really bring into question what is art. A room devoted to the miners strike is just a collection of facts and photographs on a wall . That's journalism if you saw it in the Times. But it wouldn't be very good journalism. Its just duller.

And the 3D film of bats escaping from a cave was fine. But its just a wildlife film without the David Attenborough voice over.


And Valerie's Snack Bar is a recreation of a snack bar in Bury. At least you could get a cup of tea. But when is a snack bar art? I need to know because in future I will see how much art I enjoy for free, and its done by good photographers, tea purveyors, journalists, etc without a £10 admission fee. It seems that random thoughts and amateurish dabbling is what makes it art. And that all important Arts Council grant.

As for David Shrigley's "Brain Activity" well this is supposed to be a display of the artist's wit. Only for someone who doesn't have much of a sense of humour.

The blurb says drawing is the mainstay of his art. Apparently he has exhibited about 7,000 drawings out of a total of 25,000 he has produced. The rest he threw away because he is a "ruthless self-editor". I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt and that he threw away the best. Sadly I suspect the opposite, and these crap cartoons are the best he can do.


One is supposed no doubt to be rolling around in mirth at a cute russell terrier which is stuffed and holding a sign "I am dead". Deep. Or the work called Dead Rat, which, Ronseal like, is indeed a dead rat on the floor in a corner. But what makes it art instead on an unhygienic kitchen is the neat label on the wall.


But my favourite was a goldfish bowl containing the artist's hoard of personal toe-clippings.  Most extraordinary is the fact that its in private collection in Switzerland. I like to think there is some Swiss banker who thought he was going to get some Nazi-looted Renaissance artwork and instead found he had acquired a bowl of toe-nails, and was presumably too embarassed to return it. Asked why he "produced/preserved" these apparently the artist said "It's interesting to think how much of oneself is cut off in the course of a lifetime." Sorry, if you find that interesting you seriously need to get out more. And not to the Hayward Gallery.