Taste goes to pot

Grayson Perry's Taste And Democracy
Fisun Gner|Metro5 April 2012
The Weekender

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A new pot by Grayson Perry goes by the title of Taste And Democracy. On it you'll find drawings of 'ordinary members of the public'. Unlike art critics, ordinary members of the public apparently respond to Perry's work and are moved by it. In Perry's pots they see a reflection of real life, of something they can understand.

Perry knows these guys are just the same as those who cried for Princess Diana. In fact, we know just what they're thinking because they have speech bubbles which say things like 'The People's Princess' and 'Pottery is the new video'.

But, although one guy might look like an ordinary member of the public, he might just be an art critic after all, or perhaps he is simply repeating the hollow words of a critic in order to sound clever, for this particular interloper says: 'This time they've given the Turner Prize to someone who is not really an artist.'

Perry possibly feels hurt that the art critics don't like him very much, but he takes comfort in the fact that he's got a following among the public. He seems to exercise an element of defensive humour about this, and you almost think, good for him, at least he's popular.

But then you look at the work in this exhibition, all the other familiar, one-note stuff about child cruelty, the drawings and the hooded robe that might belong to a New Age high priest and you're reminded that this is Turner Prize-winning stuff. Shouldn't there be more to it than this?

Until Nov 14, Victoria Miro Gallery, 16 Wharf Road N1, Tue to Sat 10am to 6pm, free. Tel: 020 7336 8109. www.victoria-miro.com Tube: Old Street/Angel

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