strongbow
Love him. And I am not alone. At the National Portrait Gallery on Grayson Perry's 'Who are You?' treasure trail which is cleverly designed to thread through the collection of 20th century portraits, we pored together, we nodded and exclaimed together at the artist's humanity wit, self-deprecation, fresh mindedness, stunning craftsmanship and more. The work drew people forward and in and we strangers were drawn to speak with each other with immediacy and informality. By the Memory Jar my friend and I we spoke with a young artist - I look forward to seeing his work in the future.
So many reasons to love Perry but let me talk for a moment just about words and images. The way he incorporates brand names and logos - corporate images and names which are part of the inescapable fabric of city life. He also mixes narrative and conceptual words with images drawn, woven and fired onto clay. We gaze at beautiful and beautifully made objects, eagerly hunting out the content emblazoned / hidden on or in them, then are freshly shocked as the eye switches focus to the astonishing patinas of texture and colour. So much diversity - in many senses of the word - in the 14 works on show. And only on show until the 15th November. Go see.
Favourite quote - associated with the Huhne Vase which Perry made and broke and mended, hoping to give the message that 'vulnerability might be an asset'.
Today's photograph is one I almost didn't take - yes, running late and yes, judging ('trite') but I reminded myself of my rule.
It stands here in this post to honour words and image combined. It stands here also in honour of the long boring slices of my childhood when forced to wait in stark, prosaic surroundings. I would stare at whatever was there. In desperation for engagement I recall how the stark numbers on an unillustrated calendar seemed to take on value as characters - the elegant 7, the bullish, thuggish 9, the 3 with it's unruly and slightly méchant air, the lone soldier 1. And how a splash of petrol on a service station forecourt made dark rainbows like a dirty version of the inside of sea shells. I think about a reflex escape into the imagination, an unconscious hunt for beauty and story. And from where I am now, a simple validation of disappointment and resilience: these things are here - they exist.
So many reasons to love Perry but let me talk for a moment just about words and images. The way he incorporates brand names and logos - corporate images and names which are part of the inescapable fabric of city life. He also mixes narrative and conceptual words with images drawn, woven and fired onto clay. We gaze at beautiful and beautifully made objects, eagerly hunting out the content emblazoned / hidden on or in them, then are freshly shocked as the eye switches focus to the astonishing patinas of texture and colour. So much diversity - in many senses of the word - in the 14 works on show. And only on show until the 15th November. Go see.
Favourite quote - associated with the Huhne Vase which Perry made and broke and mended, hoping to give the message that 'vulnerability might be an asset'.
Today's photograph is one I almost didn't take - yes, running late and yes, judging ('trite') but I reminded myself of my rule.
It stands here in this post to honour words and image combined. It stands here also in honour of the long boring slices of my childhood when forced to wait in stark, prosaic surroundings. I would stare at whatever was there. In desperation for engagement I recall how the stark numbers on an unillustrated calendar seemed to take on value as characters - the elegant 7, the bullish, thuggish 9, the 3 with it's unruly and slightly méchant air, the lone soldier 1. And how a splash of petrol on a service station forecourt made dark rainbows like a dirty version of the inside of sea shells. I think about a reflex escape into the imagination, an unconscious hunt for beauty and story. And from where I am now, a simple validation of disappointment and resilience: these things are here - they exist.
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