AN award-wining artist said the “ordinary” backdrop surrounding his Walthamstow studio provided much inspiration for his latest exhibition.
Grayson Perry, famed for his ceramics which marry classical shapes with contemporary and provocative themes, opens his latest exhibition today with work including the 'Walthamstow Tapesty' and 'Jane Austen in E17'.
At his Walthamstow studio, which is littered with pieces of ceramics, photos of him dressed up as a woman, and an enourmous kiln for firing clay, the self-proclaimed transvestite from Essex explained how he created 'Jane Austen in E17' by layering photo transparencies to the vase before firing it.
The father-of-one said: “Jane Austen is a polite, middle class icon and I have images of Georgian women against a background of photos I took in Walthamstow of local things that caught my eye like satilitte dishes, shop windows, net curtains. It is my favourite piece in the show.”
He added: “The area does have an influence on me because I often go out for walks and pots have been inspired by Walthamstow. One of the things about Walthamstow that is known for Walthamstow Stadium and the market, but it doesn't have a strong identity. It is an ordinary place.”
Another pot, 'Sunset from a motorway bridge', shows a bridge daubed in grafitti reading, 'sex and religion', and he said he came up with the idea after driving on A406 North Circular Road and spotting a wall compleletly covered with obscene words that surprised him and 'made him think'.
The exhibition is centered around an imposing 15 x 3 metre tapestry, his largest piece of work yet, which follows 'everyman's' journey from birth to death, and has detailed logos of brand names illustrating how mass consumerism is interwoven into our lives.
The 2003 Turner Prize Winner said it was so named because of where it was designed, like the Bayeux Tapestry, and as a reference to former Walthamstow resident and artist William Morris.
“The Bayeux was invaded by the Normans, but we are being invaded by brands,” he said. “When you take it from a logo and have just the name, you still have an association with in your mind which has been put there by brands. Our minds are being invaded by brands.”
The exhibition is at Victoria Miro Gallery from today (October 9) until November 7. Admission is free and the gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm. The exhibition coincides with the launch of the first book on the artist, by Jacky Klein.
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