Grayson Perry, The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman

Grayson Perry is as famous for his craft-inspired art as he is for his cross- dressing public persona. Traditional form and current social subject matter work in synergy to lend substance and humanity to his work. For instance, the large vases adopt the classic shapes of Grecian and Oriental artefacts, yet they are adorned with depictions of contemporary traumatic events rendered with a mix of traditional and contemporary techniques. As Perry himself says about the violence and politics in his work, “without it, it would be pottery. I think that crude melding of those two parts is what makes my work.” 

More than the mere incongruous juxtaposition of form and sub-stance, Perry’s willingness to be a public persona beyond the art world also contributes to raising awareness of his work and the ideas with which it engages. Indeed, Perry received Britain’s Turner Prize in 2003, the ultimate accolade in the art world, but he also appears on public affairs television dressed up as a doll-like figure. The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, the current exhibition curated by Perry at the British Museum takes the artist’s process a step further.