Raiders Of The Lost Art

“The tomb of the unknown craftsman” is an exhibit which seems to centre on the notions of memorial, preservation and afterlife; exploring the various themes they entail in a merging of his own pottery and pre-existing historical artefacts. It is set out as a pilgrimage through history, a melancholic tribute to the craftsmen whose work lives on in the British Museum archives, but who have themselves been entirely forgotten. Each piece of “unknown craft” becomes a defining interval in this whistle stop tour through Grayson Perry’s childish imagination. The exhibit holds an innocent naivety, derived from a fixation with both an imaginary world and Alan Measles, the childhood teddy bear who has a cameo appearance in Perry’s creations. This is also evident in the collections arrangement; Items relating to each other in a purely aesthetic capacity without attempt at chronological progression, as if compiled by a child. Children respond to an interaction of objects which are visually pleasing; unconcerned by the historical content they possess. In a way this is the genius of the exhibit, it lays bare Perry’s psychology and an approach to art history reminiscent of John Berger; significance stemming from an objects aesthetic rather than historical merit. It is refreshing to find a Turner prize winner who seems to understand that contemporary art doesn’t have to lose its artistic integrity in order to be noteworthy.

This exhibit is as much a spiritual pilgrimage for the artist as it is for the viewing public. Perry muses over the idea that art forms a modern day religion, Museums replacing cathedrals, art replacing religious experience, and exhibitions replacing the act of pilgrimage. It is an interesting notion to say the least, and one I feel holds some merit. In a world of computers, science and celebrity it is difficult to feel in awe of something anymore. Art is one of those few things that might still overwhelm us, adjust us, and change us. Yet in this “post-post-modernist” art world, art has become a fad. People go to exhibits because it is fashionable and educated. Society is obsessed with “cultured” past times without holding any genuine interest for what they entail. The exhibited pottery examines this, taking social issues and situations and using them to bridge gaps between past and present day craftwork. The “Rosetta vase” is a particularly interesting example. This bright yellow vase is decorated with the ridiculous notions of 21st century society; the Facebook generation distracted by smartphones and there obsession with the media, oblivious to history and substance. I enjoy this way in which Grayson Perry has embraced traditional craft, using them to create beautiful and personal artwork that still finds a firm foothold in modern life. It is refreshing to visit a contemporary art exhibition which isn’t just a selection of everyday objects illuminated in a white room and labelled “art”.

I can’t pretend, however, that there aren’t some pieces in this exhibit which have missed the mark. “The head of a fallen Giant” is one such case. This large bronze skull is Perry’s take on “Britishness”; an interpretation of a “world war two mine washed up on a beach and encrusted with the boiled down essences of an empire in the form of tourist tat”. However, with its alarming and almost Aztec appearance it ultimately fails with its intentions. The concept is interesting, but the manner in which it has been carried out conjures up a natural repulsion in its audience and not for the reasons the artist may have hoped. Sinister, yet comical, I felt I was looking at a superficial and over thought out horror film prop. Thankfully this is just one slip in an otherwise very effective exhibition. On the whole, Grayson Perry has created something which rectifies his previous conceptions of contemporary art; that it was once significant objects which were placed in galleries, but now an object must be placed in the gallery in order to become significant. The beautiful workmanship of the art he has created from primitive crafts finally provides an exhibition of modern art which holds significance in its own right.