Thursday 23 November 2017

Thursday 23rd November: Grayson Perry "The Life of Julie Cope" at Firstsite














Essex born and raised artist Grayson Perry has come home to present a major show at Colchester's modern art gallery Firstsite.  "The Life of Julie Cope" is the collection of tapestries, woodcuts, ceramics and tiles that Grayson designed for ‘A House for Essex’ in nearby Wrabness.  This intricate ginger-bread looking building was designed in collaboration with FAT Architecture as a secular chapel to the memory of a fictional Essex woman, Julie Cope.  Her life story for which Grayson Perry invented is told across all these mediums which you can see here from his sketchbooks, prints, textiles and ceramics.  I still haven't been to the house in person so this is a great sneak peak into the interior which is accompanied by shots of the exterior (above) to give an atmospheric sense of the space.
The opening night preview was packed out with a queue for one-in-one-out to view the works.  The gift shop even has these Essex map tote bags and cushions which accurately depict the hand-woven wall-hangings. 

Book the gallery's special Q&A event with the Turner Prize winning artist here.

See my archive post on his Serpentine Show here.


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