Kinky sex

I am Grayson Perry, I am principally an artist, but I am also a broadcaster, a bit of a stand-up comedian, and a father he he. Husband, transvestite, cyclist and babyboomer.

The first plate that I ever made was this piece called “Kinky Sex” which I made in 1983 and it's very much in that early English slipware style in the sort of crosshatched border decoration, and it has a picture of a kind of crucified figure in the middle. Very roughly drawn, and I think I was sort of interested in what would happen if I put in things like bits of coloured glass or a coin, and I put a coin over his groin and it kind of melted. So it's sort of like he's sort of ejaculated money and and I and I put it underneath. I put it in very bold text the words “Kinky Sex” 'cause you know I was young. I was very into fetishism at the time. And still am, and so it was kind of state. It was almost like a declaration of this is what my work is going to be about, and I I haven't really changed.
You know it was under this framework of tradition and craft and yet it was dealing with potentially controversial, or erotic or, social issues...

What I'm interested in with Clay is the history and tradition of it that I can borrow for my work...  

I find inspiration for things that are very well crafted and detailed. I found myself looking at traditional cultures from all over the world, particularly, you know the ceramic cultures, say of the Far East. Or Islam or South America.

But of course, all the interesting things with ceramics happen when you impose on them. You know the great skilled ceramicists are imposing, you know, very cleared limits and definitions on this kind of primal mud, which it is.

This is something that I sort of treasured in them.