In a V. Note from November 2016, I shared “Democracy Has Bad Taste”, and an audio interview on BBC with Grayson Perry. I’ve had pottery on the brain lately (I’m excited for our ceramics studio to open) so today I’m looping back to share some of Perry’s pottery.
“What do artist’s do? They notice stuff” Grayson Perry, Brilliant Ideas, 2015
Grayson Perry was born in Britain in 1960. Perry makes ceramic pots, hand-stitched quilts, and outrageous dress designs, creating a cosmopolitan folk-art. Perry is known equally for his contemporary ceramic vases, and for his alter ego as the very brightly quaffed Claire. Perry believes that between cross dressing and the medium of pottery as contemporary art, contemporary pottery is more difficult for people to come to terms with.
“It’s about time a transvestite potter won the Turner Prize” Grayson Perry at the Turner Prize Awards, 2003
Pottery tends to be seen as a lower art form than painting, defaulting to decorative craft. Perry leverages this tension constantly within his work, pushing against more easily acceptable forms of contemporary art like painting.
“I like pottery because it’s humble. It’s not hubristic like a lot of contemporary art can be. I like the fact that it offers me a wide range of techniques to work with.” Grayson Perry at the Turner Prize Retrospective, TateShots
Grayson Perry I Hate You, I Hate Myself, 2000
Perry’s large beautiful vases are built using the ancient coil technique, each following an original hand drawn paper template as a guideline for form, then excessively decorated using a mix of stamps and sgraffito into layers of photo transfers, slips and glazes. The classical forms seem at odds with his scrawled satire and kitsch. Perry uses pots as narrative and figurative media for his politics, social commentary, personal narratives, and images of kink, sado-masochism. “Perfersion to match the curtains” Perry says.
Grayson Perry, We Shall Catch it on the Beaches
Grayson Perry, Cuddly Toys Caught on Barbed Wire, 2001
Grayson Perry, Cuddly Toys Caught on Barbed Wire, 2001
Grayson Perry, Over the Rainbow, 2001
Grayson Perry, Over the Rainbow, 2001
Grayson Perry, Matching Pair, 2017
Grayson Perry, Dolls at Dungeness September 11th 2001, 2001
Grayson Perry, Barbaric Splendour, 2003
Grayson Perry, Golden Ghosts, 2000
Grayson Perry, Golden Ghosts, 2000
Grayson Perry, We’ve Found the Body of Your Child, 2000
Grayson Perry, We’ve Found the Body of Your Child, 2000
Grayson Perry, Saint Claire 37 wanks across Northern Spain, 2003
Grayson Perry, Saint Claire 37 wanks across Northern Spain, 2003
Grayson Perry, Saint Claire 37 wanks across Northern Spain, 2003
Grayson Perry, Saint Claire 37 wanks across Northern Spain, 2003
Grayson Perry, All Men Are Bastards, 2001
Grayson Perry, Punters in the Snow, 1999
Grayson Perry, Oiks, Tarts, Wierdoes and Contemporary Art 1996
“People say, ‘why do you need to put sex, violence or politics or some kind of social commentary into my work?’ Without it, it would be pottery. I think that crude melding of those two parts is what makes my work.’”
“We’re only here once and I want to get as much out of it possible. And as an artist, my job is to be as much “me” as possible.” Grayson Perry, Saatchi Gallery
Grayson Perry: Pottery is my Gimmick
Describing pottery as his ‘gimmick’, Perry demonstrates his process and explains why he wants people to be able to just enjoy art, rather than having to interpret it.
Grayson Perry – ‘Pottery Is My Gimmick’ | TateShots (5 min)
Grayson Perry: What is Art?
Perry is an incredibly thoughtful artist and talks openly about everything from getting started as an artist, to cross dressing, to what is art vs craft. If you enjoyed the interview above and want to learn more about Grayson Perry’s thoughts and processes, I highly recommend these videos. I definitely do not recommend the one below.
What is art? with Grayson Perry (2 minutes)
How to Make a Pot like Grayson Perry
In this video, a person who is not at all like Grayson Perry makes a pot that is almost kind of sort of like a Grayson Perry pot, sort of.
How to Make a Pot Like Grayson Perry | Tate (15 min)
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A sneak preview of artworks for my upcoming show I’m in the middle of the first series of artworks I’ve made since starting the League in 2016. In addition to several pretty paintings, I think I might be approaching 20 different (and pretty) drypoint images for Some Pretty Paintings, my solo show at Smith & …
Grayson Perry’s Pottery
In a V. Note from November 2016, I shared “Democracy Has Bad Taste”, and an audio interview on BBC with Grayson Perry. I’ve had pottery on the brain lately (I’m excited for our ceramics studio to open) so today I’m looping back to share some of Perry’s pottery.
“What do artist’s do? They notice stuff” Grayson Perry, Brilliant Ideas, 2015
Grayson Perry was born in Britain in 1960. Perry makes ceramic pots, hand-stitched quilts, and outrageous dress designs, creating a cosmopolitan folk-art. Perry is known equally for his contemporary ceramic vases, and for his alter ego as the very brightly quaffed Claire. Perry believes that between cross dressing and the medium of pottery as contemporary art, contemporary pottery is more difficult for people to come to terms with.
“It’s about time a transvestite potter won the Turner Prize” Grayson Perry at the Turner Prize Awards, 2003
Pottery tends to be seen as a lower art form than painting, defaulting to decorative craft. Perry leverages this tension constantly within his work, pushing against more easily acceptable forms of contemporary art like painting.
“I like pottery because it’s humble. It’s not hubristic like a lot of contemporary art can be. I like the fact that it offers me a wide range of techniques to work with.” Grayson Perry at the Turner Prize Retrospective, TateShots
I Hate You, I Hate Myself, 2000
Perry’s large beautiful vases are built using the ancient coil technique, each following an original hand drawn paper template as a guideline for form, then excessively decorated using a mix of stamps and sgraffito into layers of photo transfers, slips and glazes. The classical forms seem at odds with his scrawled satire and kitsch. Perry uses pots as narrative and figurative media for his politics, social commentary, personal narratives, and images of kink, sado-masochism. “Perfersion to match the curtains” Perry says.
“People say, ‘why do you need to put sex, violence or politics or some kind of social commentary into my work?’ Without it, it would be pottery. I think that crude melding of those two parts is what makes my work.’”
“We’re only here once and I want to get as much out of it possible. And as an artist, my job is to be as much “me” as possible.” Grayson Perry, Saatchi Gallery
Grayson Perry: Pottery is my Gimmick
Describing pottery as his ‘gimmick’, Perry demonstrates his process and explains why he wants people to be able to just enjoy art, rather than having to interpret it.
Grayson Perry: What is Art?
Perry is an incredibly thoughtful artist and talks openly about everything from getting started as an artist, to cross dressing, to what is art vs craft. If you enjoyed the interview above and want to learn more about Grayson Perry’s thoughts and processes, I highly recommend these videos. I definitely do not recommend the one below.
How to Make a Pot like Grayson Perry
In this video, a person who is not at all like Grayson Perry makes a pot that is almost kind of sort of like a Grayson Perry pot, sort of.
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