ART CITIES:London-Grayson Perry
Grayson Perry’d work provokes and delights in equal measure, providing both autobiographical insights and sharp observations about others. Perry’s careful combination of current subject matter with traditional materials challenges the preconceptions we unthinkingly apply to objects, people, processes and places, forcing a confrontation between what we consider to be new or old, acceptable or shocking.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Serpentine Gallery Archive
Greyson Perry’s solo exhibition “The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever!” at Serpentine Gallery tackles one of Perry’s central concerns: how contemporary art can best address a diverse cross section of society. The title of the exhibition is a playful provocation, but the notion of popularity underscores many of the works in this show. As the artist says “The title of an exhibition is usually the last thing I think of, often only after the gallery curator has nagged me to come up with something. This time I thought of the title before I had made most of the artworks. It made me laugh, and slightly nervous laughter is the reaction most art world people have to it. Why is that? What is unsettling about an exhibition boasting about being popular?”. The works all deal with the relationships between artist, gallery, critic and audience. The ceramic “Puff Piece” (2016) s betrays the artist’s delicate ego, while the large woodcut, “Reclining Artist” (2017), addresses the audience’s interest in the figure of the artist himself as much as his work. The vase “Visitor Figures” (2016) is covered with references to the most popular art exhibitions in the world during the previous year. “Long Pig” (2017) encourages visitors to donate to the gallery by selecting a coin slot which they can associate with. This two-headed piggy bank might allow us to identify ourselves by our differences, but the support given all ends up in the same donation box. Masculinity is the subject of several of Perry’s recent works. In one room is a group of pieces produced for his most recent TV series, “All Man” (2016). Each pair of works is a response to the codes of behaviour and economic circumstances of adifferent group of British men. On the opposite side of the gallery, is a selection of artworks linked by love. Machines and insignia that reveal Perry’s personal relationship with traditional male pastimes: a motorcycle, a bicycle and a skateboard, are decorated with childlike playfulness. The central gallery is dedicated to a series of works that Perry describes as “The Mantlepiece of Britain”, which together explore national identity in the wake of the Brexit vote. The large tapestry “Battle of Britain” (2017) shows an imaginary British landscape crowded with allusions to feelings and issues dividing the country. Opposite hangs “Red Carpet” (2017), a map of Britain that uses emotionally charged words and phrases from the national conversation on social media, perhaps reflecting its increasing role in shaping our internal landscape. The two large vases “Matching Pair” (2017) have been decorated with images chosen and supplied by the British public. Two groups. those that voted for the UK to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum, and those that voted to remain, were asked to contribute visual material via social media.
Info: Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, London, Duration: 8/6-10/9/17, Days & Hours: Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, www.serpentinegalleries.org
