Grayson Perry: The MOST Specialest Relationship
Victoria Miro, London, UK
15 September – 18 December 2020
The art exhibition I’ve chosen to review this time is The MOST Specialest Relationship by Grayson Perry — a nod to the famous term describing relations between Britain and the United States. Perry, for those who don’t know him yet, is an English contemporary artist, writer, and broadcaster. What has made him a pop culture icon, however, is his transvestite alter ego, Claire.
As I discovered while reading about the exhibition, the show was inspired by Perry’s three-part documentary Grayson Perry’s Big American Roadtrip, broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK in September 2020, following his journey in 2019. I haven’t seen the documentary yet, though it’s on my to-do list. The artist travelled across the US on a custom-built motorbike of his own design and explored some of the biggest cultural and political issues dividing the country. Scroll down to see the pictures I took at the art show — I even interacted with one of the artworks in person.
“If I think of American cultural power, the image that pops into my head is a huge Abstract Expressionist painting, a Cold War symbol of a self-confident land of the free,” said Grayson Perry.
Indeed, the exhibition’s backdrop was a large tapestry displayed along the longest wall, used by Perry to reflect on the multiple layers that constitute the cultural and social archaeology of Manhattan. The deepest layer consisted of historic textiles from the many cultures that make up the modern city: rugs, blankets, flags, sacks… On top of this, a Jackson Pollock-style abstract painting splurged across the surface — a symbol of macho cultural dominance — with the outline of Manhattan and pasted collage labels referencing the liberal economic system that prevails in the city. These labels felt very much in line with the style Perry employs on his ceramics.
Juxtaposition is the main characteristic of Perry’s ceramics, which are covered in handwritten text, drawings, stenciled lettering, photographs, and satirical messages. Perry challenges the implicit idea in craft traditions that pottery is merely decorative or utilitarian and cannot express ideas.
In addition to the pottery and tapestry, the exhibition also featured a large map of the United States with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg depicted as a divine figure at the top. I found this work particularly compelling — I wouldn’t have immediately associated it with him. Yet, upon closer inspection, his ingenuity and understanding of social and economic issues became apparent.
“I chose him because he is the best-known face of social media power. Social media is mainly financed by advertising, so those in charge want users to stay online as long as possible. Algorithms make this happen by encouraging conflict and outrage. The red arrows represent this feeding of negative emotion that keeps people scrolling. All the ships, planes, and other combatants are labelled with the issues that swirl around this artificially polarised struggle. In the centre of the map is the presidential plane Air Force One colliding with a Russian bomber labelled ‘Climate Change’,” said the artist.
To conclude, I wouldn’t place Perry on my list of favourite artists, but I admire his originality and his willingness to dissect social and economic topics such as race, inequality, child abuse, and sexuality through his art.
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