Grayson Perry says ‘art is medicine for our deeper selves’ ahead of charity auction
Grayson Perry has called art a “medicine for our deeper selves” as he donated works for auction in aid of a children’s therapy charity
The Turner prize winner, whose work will be sold at Sotheby’s to support AT The Bus, said: “Art can reach parts of us that are inaccessible to other ways of communication.
“Art is medicine for our deeper selves. What better way to provide health-giving opportunities than for art as therapy to come to you in a bus?”
The exhibition, which includes over 30 works to be displayed at its New Bond Street gallery from April 29 to May 7, will be sold via an online auction, and bidding will open from April 29 till May 10.
Perry’s donated work, Selfie With Political Causes, shows his alter-ego ‘Claire’ in full hair, make-up and a green dress embellished with ‘peace’. The character rides a Harley Davidson adorned with the words ‘Social Justice’, ‘Equality’ and ‘Identity’ in blood red.
The brightly-coloured print features the motorbike trampling words such as ‘Racism’, ‘Sexism’ and ‘Poverty’, and was created in 2018.
The artist, who studied art at Braintree College of Further Education and Portsmouth College of Art and Design, is celebrated for his ceramic vases, tapestries, and often appears as his female alter-ego “Claire” to promote his work. He has also written a graphic novel, Cycle of Violence.
One of the London-based artist’s best-known artworks is A House for Essex (“Julie’s House”), completed between 2012 and 2015. The house in the sleepy village of Wrabness tells the story of fictional Essex woman Julie May Cope, and a variety of tapestries and woodcuts inside the home detail her life.
Speaking to the Independent back in 2015, Perry described the project as “bonkers yet dignified”, saying “I like the idea of a total environment. People can immerse themselves in it. It’s like a Fabergé egg, small and rich.”
All proceeds will go to AT The Bus, which was founded in 2018 and offers school-based art therapy on a double-decker bus to support the well-being of young people. The charity works with nine schools and over 230 children each week.
Charity founder and joint CEO Juli Beattie said she would like to “thank the artists and Sotheby’s for their huge generosity and kindness in enabling this auction to take place.”
Patron of the charity Jenny Saville added that “the work of AT The Bus makes a profound and direct difference to the lives of young people.”
Other artists who have donated work include Thomas Heatherwick, Patrick Huges, Veronica Ryan, and Maggi Hambling.
