British artist David Shrigley has opened an exhibition at Stephen Friedman gallery in London featuring approximately ten tonnes of discarded rope, collected from seaports, climbing schools, tree surgeons, and other sources over eight months. The rope is piled in four rooms of the gallery, with a neon sign reading “exhibition of old rope”. Shrigley has priced the installation at £1 million plus VAT, describing the figure as a “provocation” that highlights the gap between art-world valuation and public perception. He acknowledges the work may not sell but insists every artwork needs a price.
This exhibition matters because it directly critiques the commercial art market at a time of depressed sales, using absurdity and humor to question how value is assigned to contemporary art. By transforming non-recyclable synthetic rope into an artwork, Shrigley also draws attention to the environmental crisis of marine waste—an estimated 640,000 tonnes of discarded rope and fishing nets enter the ocean annually. The piece blurs the line between conceptual art, environmental activism, and market satire, reinforcing Shrigley’s reputation for playful yet pointed commentary.