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Thursday 14 July 2022

Artlyst: Grayson Perry Tapestries On Show At Salisbury Cathedral

My latest interview for Artlyst is with The Very Revd Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury, and Beth Hughes, Curator, Arts Council Collection, in relation to The Vanity of Small Differences, an exhibition of six huge tapestries by Grayson Perry which has recently opened to the public at Salisbury Cathedral:

‘Beth Hughes: The exhibition will make clear the artworks that have been referenced as intermediaries. The tapestries are not about telling a bible story, however, rather they are more about art history. Is this about the grandiose nature of the way we treat past artworks or about Perry aligning his artworks with paintings from the past? In the second panel, a club singer is aligned with Grunewald’s Isenheim altarpiece. There are clear references in relation to size and shape. This layering of references shows that art doesn’t come from nowhere.

Nicholas Papadopulos: The point I like to make to visitors is that Perry is using the religious references to address issues of class division and that post-Brexit, Covid, the cost-of-living crisis, and the Ukraine conflict, the issue of how united or divided we are is of more relevance than ever. Vibrant, witty, and well-observed, they are an invitation to see ourselves. That surely is one of the purposes of liturgy and worship, to look at ourselves in the light of the Gospel. Doing so is a core spiritual discipline.’

For more on The Vanity of Small Differences see my July diary for Artlyst - 'Re-imaging Essex'.

My other pieces for Artlyst are:

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The Merchants of Venus - The Arms of Morpheus.

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