Artist Puts Price Tag on Discarded Rope in Mayfair Gallery
In one of London's most exclusive art districts, David Shrigley has created an installation that's both literally and figuratively heavy. The renowned British artist has filled the Stephen Friedman Gallery in Mayfair with 10 tonnes of old marine rope, salvaged from various sources and piled into towering mounds that dominate the exhibition space.
The Concept Behind the £1 Million Pile of Rope
Shrigley's work, titled 'Exhibition of Old Rope', carries an eyebrow-raising price tag of £1 million. The artist has described the installation as taking the idiom "money for old rope" to its logical, if absurd, conclusion. Most of this rope was destined for landfill, as marine rope proves particularly difficult to recycle, creating an environmental problem with endless global supply.
The rope was collected over several months from diverse sources including climbing schools, tree surgeons, offshore wind farms, and scaffolders. Rather than transforming this discarded material into something conventionally beautiful or functional, Shrigley presents it exactly as found - creating what he describes as a visual one-liner in his characteristic deadpan style.
Art World Satire or Environmental Commentary?
This installation continues Shrigley's tradition of creating work that exists somewhere between profound statement and elaborate joke. While piles of discarded materials have been common in conceptual art for decades, Shrigley's approach feels particularly knowing and sarcastic. The artist seems to be gamely admitting that, on some level, the entire concept is deliberately absurd.
The work raises questions about what gives art value in today's market, echoing similar provocations by artists like Maurizio Cattelan, who famously sold a banana taped to a wall for an extraordinary sum. However, Shrigley's timing feels particularly pointed, coming as the Stephen Friedman Gallery faces its own financial challenges after announcing significant losses earlier this year.
Despite the conceptual weight, many visitors find the installation disarming and charming in typical Shrigley fashion. There's something both obscene and ridiculous about contemplating deep meanings while standing before piles of literal old rope. The work invites viewers to untangle conceptual threads that ultimately lead nowhere - which may be precisely the point.
Ultimately, Shrigley's installation serves as a mirror reflecting our own expectations of art. It challenges whether we need every artwork to weave into something sensible, or whether we can appreciate the sheer audacity of presenting old rope as million-pound art. In the artist's own tradition, it's a non-sequitur that makes you laugh even as it makes you think.
