The Joke Explained - Gallery essay for Pascale Giorgi's Worst Hits @ Goolugatup Heathcote

Does a good joke have to be explained? Most people would answer no. Does a good artwork have to be explained? Most people, depending on taste, would answer yes, no, or maybe. But what about humorous art? Does a joke that is an artwork have to be explained? Most people would not be able to answer this question. The most successful humourist in contemporary art is probably still David Shrigley. In every big gallery you can find his crude sculptures and badly drawn cartoons, and while his works sometimes make me laugh, I have never read a convincing explanation. Are his works popular for their joke-value alone? Is it because they appeal to the public’s perception that contemporary art is pretentious? Can there be anything to say about his works beyond ha ha? In a sloppy three-circle diagram on an A4 page, Shrigley summed up the entire discourse surrounding humorous art: those who get it, those who don’t, and those who know there’s nothing to get. To have the latter disposition is what…