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[September 2004]
'Sissy' Grayson Perry Pot Returns Home
The National Art Collections Fund (Art Fund) has given a £2,500 grant to Chelmsford Borough Council's Museum (Chelmsford, Essex, England) towards the purchase of a spectacular 65cm-high earthenware pot by Turner Prize winning potter Grayson Perry.
The lidded pot, entitled 'The Chelmsford Sissies, 2003' depicts in lively parody an imaginary event where an incident in the town during the English Civil War, involving condemned soldiers attired in women's dress, is commemorated with a modern transvestite festival in Chelmsford High Street.
The pot's vibrant decorative scheme also incorporates a self-portrait of the artist and is topped by a 'boy-racer' car crashing into a signpost for the town. Perry was born in Chelmsford and brought up in Essex and in his work frequently returns to and refers to the region.
Perry's technique is to hand-coil his pots and then elaborately decorate them with sgraffito and modelled details. They are then glazed and completed with decals.
Also on display is a newly acquired collection of 32 works by Joanna Constantinidis (1927-2000). The Art Fund gave a grant of £10,000 towards the acquisition of these extraordinary pieces by the internationally renowned potter who lived and worked in the Chelmsford area.
ENDS