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Two of the iconic artist’s tapestries go on display
Grayson Perry is best known for his vibrant, modern, often politically motivated, and highly stylised artwork, which ranges from paintings, to textiles and ceramics. Razor-sharp knowledge and appreciation of the world of art, combined with an outsider’s perspective originating from his humble, working class roots feeds into his creative process.
In 2015, one of his biggest projects, Dream House, was unveiled to the public. The building was decorated inside and out to tell the story of Julie May Cope, a fictional Essex everywoman. Now, two of the tapestries created for this exhibition will go on display in the Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead from Saturday 5th May until Saturday 28th July. Julie Cope’s Grand Tour: the story of a life by Grayson Perry are two large-scale tapestries which depict episodes from Julie Cope’s dramatic life, from humble beginnings, to an untimely and gruesome end. His aim, in his own words, was to depict “the trials, tribulations, celebrations and mistakes of an average life.”
Accompanying the tapestries will be an audio-visual display of the Ballad of Julie Cope, the artist’s full narrative of his character featured in the artwork. Grayson Perry embraces and values those the classical world of art might consider too mundane to recognise, and through his artwork and account, Julie Cope is elevated from her unremarkable life into legend, to become something entirely fabulous.
