GRAYSON PERRY.
Who is he?
He is an English Artist mainly known for his ceramic vases and cross dressing. He was born in Chelmsfordm, Essex on the 24th March 1960.
Growing Up.
His father left when he was seven, his father left the family because of his mother's adultery. Perry describes his father' departure as the event that had the largest impact on him in his life.
In his childhood Perry took an interest in drawing and building model aeroplanes, both of which were to become themes in his work.
To escape from a difficult family situation and his stepfather's violence,he retreated to his bedroom or his father's shed where he became absorbed in a fantasy life, involving a teddy bear (called Alan Measles) that had become a "surrogate father figure".
"Clare"
From an early age he liked to dress in women's clothes, and when he moved out of home began to go out dressed as a woman and called himself Clare.
Education.
He studied for a BA in fine art at Portsmouth Polytechnic, graduating in 1982. He exhibited his first piece of pottery at the "New Contempories" show at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1980. He had pottery lessons in the Central Institute taught by Sarah Sanderson.His first exhibition of ceramics was in London in December 1983.
He choose pottery because he found it was the one way he could get across his ideas about gender and society.
Perry's vases have classical forms and are decorated in bright colours, depicting subjects at odds with their attractive appearance. Perry often uses "Claire" his female alter-ego in his vases.
He choose pottery because he found it was the one way he could get across his ideas about gender and society.
Perry's vases have classical forms and are decorated in bright colours, depicting subjects at odds with their attractive appearance. Perry often uses "Claire" his female alter-ego in his vases.
Recognition.
The Stedeljik Museum in Amsterdam mounted a solo exhibition of his work in 2002. It was partly for this work that he was awarded the Turner Prize in 2003, the first tome it was given to a ceramic artist. He attended the award dressed as his alter-ego Claire.
IN 2005 he was on a TV programe Why Men Wear Frocks, this documentary won a Royal Television Society Award for best network production.
Achievements.
An autobiographical account of his formative years, Portrait of the artist as a Young Girl 2006.
He is best known for his ceramic pottery and has had many exhibitions over the years.
How it's done.
His pots are made by coiling a traditional and are labour intensive. He uses techniques includind "glazing, incision, embossing and much more. Perry challenges the idea that his pottery is meremy decorative or utilitarian and cannot express ideas.
Much of Perry's work contains sexually explicit content. Some of his sexual imagery has been described as "obscene sadomasochistic sex scenes". He also jas a reputation for depicting child abuse although We've Found TheBody of Your Child, 2000 hints at emotional child abuse and neglect. In other work he juxtaposes decorative cliches like flowers with weapons and war. He uses various techniques as a "guerrilla tactic", using the approachable medium of pottery to provoke thought.
Perry has worked in print making, drawing, embroidery and other textile work, film and performance. He has written a graphic novel, Cycle of Violence.
I made a paper mache pot as my medium to potray Grayson Perry's Mind Map as I believe this is what he himself would do.
References.
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/aipe/grayson perry.htm
"Portrait of the artist as a young girl" co-written by Wendy Jones.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/grayson-perry
http://www.victoria-miro.com/artists/ 12/
Also the Grayson Perry DVD from GMIT Library.
