Grayson Perry in Conversation with Caroline Douglas

23 Nov 2022

Portrait of Grayson Perry, taken by the artist.

Overview

Grayson Perry discusses the idea of kitsch in ceramics and contemporary art with Caroline Douglas, Director of the Contemporary Art Society.

This talk covers the ways in which artists use 'kitsch' to reflect on ideas around identity and notions of taste. Taking Perry’s practice as an example, Perry and Douglas explore how working with clay questions notions of taste, notably through the use of domestic forms and popular culture references.

Drawn to kitsch’s inclusive and diverse roots, artists harness its often humorous, grotesque and flamboyant aesthetic to expand our understanding of the boundaries between high and low culture.

In his work Grayson Perry explores many aspects of contemporary life, including social class, gender, sexuality and religion. Whilst utilising classical ceramic forms, Perrys’ semi-autobiographical references place modern British life under a microscope.

Grayson Perry is an English contemporary artist, writer and broadcaster. He is known for his ceramic vases and tapestries, as well as his observations of the contemporary arts scene and for dissecting British ‘prejudices, fashions and foibles’. In 2003, he became famous as the first ceramic artist to win the Turner Prize and was awarded a CBE in 2014.

Perry features in the Hayward Gallery exhibition Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art.

Caroline Douglas is the Director of the Contemporary Art Society.

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