In a six-minute-long brand film by champagne house Ruinart, David Shrigley brings viewers along with him to his residency in Reims, France. The residency, which took place last year, is part of a program called Carte Blanche that invites artists to visit and interpret their company in a way they see fit. The film showcases a series of work that explores the champagne production process through the artist’s distinct style — a combination of silliness, dry wit, and honesty.
“One of the things I really like about the project is that I’m kind of free to say whatever I like about it,” Shrigley explained. “It’s just about having a creative…response to being in Reims.”
Included in his series of work are paintings, neon signs, and carvings in the walls of crayères — soft chalk walls where champagne is aged. “I had a couple of days carving reliefs into the walls: a washing machine, some cavemen…they are quite crude,” he said. “There is a lot of this type of graffiti in the caves, which are vast. It was really interesting adding my contribution to the canvas of carvings already there.”
Take a look at the process and inspirations behind David Shrigley’s work in Reims in the video above.
Elsewhere in art, Eric Haze is currently stuck at the Elaine de Kooning House after starting what was supposed to be a brief residency at the East Hampton home.
