Currently on view at Victoria Miro Gallery is Grayson Perry's 50 ft. tapestry, "The Walthamstow Tapestry." A smaller version was also up at the gallery's Frieze Art Fair booth this week. The first tapestry of Perry's we saw was "Vote Alan Measles for God" (2007) during Design Miami this year at "Demons, Yards, and Tales." That handmade work commissioned through Christopher and Susan Sharp of Banners of Persuasion is merely 98 x 69 inches and hangs in the exhibition.
A major monograph on Perry published by Thames & Hudson launched at the gallery on October 5. Perry decided he'd need something to be photographed in front of - his own version of a start & stop - and decided a grand tapestry would be fitting. "The Walthamstow Tapestry" shows a person's journey from birth to death (left to right on the tapestry) and explores the emotional ties with consumption one encounters along the way. The location of Walthamstow, East 17th, was chosen for a couple of reasons - it's where Perry lives and works and where William Morris, an influential figure in the 19-century craft movement, was born.
Several ceramic works and etchings are on view alongside the tapestry. Perry's alter ego Claire Perry (who could be seen walking about Frieze this week) and favorite teddy bear Alan Measles are the focal point of "World Leaders Attend the marriage of Alan Measles and Claire Perry" (2009). And the artist had world leaders like Gordon Brown in mind when making the etching "Print for a Politician" (2005) - an edition of which is now at Parliament.
"Flowers, Ideas and Circles" (2009), a ceramic work, is covered in images of iconic contemporary artworks like Damien Hirst's diamond encrusted skull and Jeff Koons' silver rabbit and its debut is timed perfectly with the Tate Modern's current exhibition “Pop Life: Art in a Material World.” With these new ceramic works and grand tapestry, Perry continues to use 19th century crafts and imagery to confront 21st century life with a much appreciated dose of wit and humor.
