Grayson Perry Returns - on TV, at the British Museum and with a new exhibition!

Oh joy of joys - Grayson is back - in a diverse number of ways - on TV, at the British Museum and with a new exhibition!  He and his work can be seen:

• at the British Museum - NOW!
• at Victoria Miro - with a new exhibition from 15th September timed to coincide with the roadtrip television series.....
• on Channel 4 - riding across the USA on his motorbike - in 3 episodes later this month
• early 2021 - in a second series of Grayson's Art Club.

That'll really get under the skin of the Grayson Haters Club.

For those who love Grayson read on....

CHANNEL 4 - another road trip in September 2020

Grayson Perry’s Big American Roadtrip (w/t), broadcast on Channel 4 in September

In this very personal three-part documentary travelogue, award-winning artist and social commentator Grayson Perry is going to travel across the US, to explore the meaning of the American Dream today. At a time when the nation can sometimes seem more divided than ever, he will spend time with people from very different walks of life, to try to understand how Americans today view issues of identity, race, money and class.

I have no dates and not a lot more than the quote from the production company above. Keep your eyes peeled - my guess is second half of the month.

Grayson Perry with his motorbike by the side of the road

CHANNEL 4 - a second series in early 2021

Grayson will be inviting you once again to join his Art Club in early 2021. 
No wonder - the first series was incredibly successful and has been nominated for a few television awards!

Grayson’s Art Club was the best performing series from Channel 4’s #StayAtHome Academy programming, attracting over one million viewers per episode. Apparently the nation was inspired to unleash its creative side during lockdown - with the series reportedly responsible for a considerable rise in online sales for craft specialists! 

“Appointment television is back – and it’s a bona fide masterpiece. In the midst of lockdown, a quirky Channel 4 series has brought the nation together and served up not just creativity but a slice of British life like no other.”
The Telegraph

Grayson’s Art Club, the critically acclaimed series, from BAFTA-winning production company Swan Films, has been recommissioned by Channel 4.  There are no dates as yet. 

Philippa and Grayson Perry

The second series has contemporary award-winning artist, writer and broadcaster Grayson Perry reworking from his studio alongside his wife, the best-selling author, psychotherapist and broadcaster Philippa Perry.

“I’m so pleased and proud Art Club is coming back, it’s a joyful team effort with the stars being the artists who send in their wonderful works and tell us their stories. Of course, it’s not principally about art, it’s a celebration of life.” 

Grayson Perry

The second series of Grayson’s Art Club in early 2021 will follow the same format, In each episode:

• Grayson will in his studio making his own art - alongside Philippa who is no slouch in the art department!
• He will also have conversations with celebrity guests, high-profile artists sharing insights into their processes, 
• feature art made by the great British public. 

The one departure is that if social distancing rules permit it, Grayson will also travel around the country to meet artists and discuss their artwork. 

The series is being made by Swan Films produced by Neil Crombie and Joe Evans

“We’re thrilled to bring Grayson’s Art Club back to Channel 4. The first series unlocked a wealth of creativity around the country, and we’ll be building on that for the post-lockdown era, showing once again why we all need the joy of art in our lives.”
Joe Evans, co-founder and managing director of Swan Films

You will again be able to join in the conversation on twitter and Instagram @Channel4 using the hashtag #C4ArtClub

BRITISH MUSEUM

Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman

... a large proportion of the British Museum collection has come from tombs. You could say the British Museum is a kind of giant tomb itself. The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman could be another name for the British Museum…

– Grayson Perry CBE

I always thought this exhibition was a crafty way of Grayson Perry blowing a raspberry at the Royal Academy of Arts which took quite some time to recognise that a ceramic potter might merit being made an Academician. Or at least that's what I read in a broadsheet many moons ago - the latter that is. The former is just my conclusion based on his sense of fun.

Created and displayed as part of an exhibition at the British Museum in 2011 and now making its return, The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman is a sculpture of an iron ship, sailing into the afterlife. The ship is hung with hand-made replicas of British Museum objects, representing crafts made through history – by forgotten men and women – which have survived into the present day.

There's probably no better way of the British Museum getting people to start coming back then to put on a Grayson Perry show. Grayson is like an Art God to the "Great Unwashed"! ;) (that's a joke!)

If you want to see the exhibition check out the rules!

• Tickets can only be booked online in advance
• To book simply pick the date and time you would like to visit. 

There have been a lot of problems at many places with "no shows" so do the decent thing 

• ONLY book tickets for the date and time you plan to attend 
• ring them up if you need to cancel). 

My personal opinion is that "no showers' will eventually end up on a blacklist - and since the Pandemic is not going away any time soon - you could be stitching yourself up if you don't make a firm decision about one date and time.

EXHIBITION

The MOST Specialest Relationship 

Grayson Perry’s new exhibition opens on 15 September at Victoria Miro, London W1. 

The exhibition will be available to view by free timed ticket. Book your visit here.

New work by Grayson Perry, including ceramics, a tapestry and a large-scale print, are inspired by his forthcoming three-part documentary Grayson Perry’s Big American Roadtrip (w/t), broadcast on Channel 4 in September. The series, in which the artist travels across the US on a custom-built motorbike he designed especially for the journey, explores some of the biggest cultural and political fault-lines in the country. Works respond to the programme’s themes and conversations as Perry spent time with different communities, from African-American businesspeople in Atlanta to farmers in Wisconsin, to understand how Americans today view issues of identity, race, money and class – and what might be done to overcome the divisions in their country (and in our own).

I shall be definitely going despite the gallery at 16 Wharf Road London N1 7RW - between Hoxton and Islington.