Grayson Perry

I recently visited the Grayson Perry exhibition in Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, exploring Britain’s fascination with taste and how different social classes differ taste. Perry’s work is inspired by Hogarth’s morality tale, A Rake’s Progress. His tapestries follow the socially-mobile life of fictional character Tim Rakewell from infancy to untimely death. These tapestries were made alongside the documentary, All in the Best Possible Taste, which was also shown at the gallery. They are crammed with acutely-observed detail and invite us all to consider our own attitudes to class and our positions in society.

The exhibition also includes a number of other works, including historical ceramics, and the original Rake’s Progress print series by William Hogarth and David Hockney. I was especially interested in the link to David Hockney’s work and his involvement in the queer scene, as I already look into minority groups. His work was incredibly interesting to view because of the era these works were made, as some might describe the turning point of the lgbt+ community. Hockney wanted to celebrate just how different the gay lifestyle is from the heterosexual one. It has to do with extravagance, treating the world as a playing field for daredevils, and, most of all, leading an unapologetic life.

David Hockney: the arrival, etching from the Rake’s progress series, 1961-3.