Johnblog

We took a trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art to see the Grayson Perry exhibition. I wasn’t very interested in his work until I saw a TV documentary about him that showed the impressive breadth and depth of his output. It also helped that his artwork includes a motorcycle!

I think he’s an amazing guy. He thumbs his nose at the conventional art world by producing “unfashionable” ceramics full of social commentary. As the exhibition blurb states: “Perry infuses his artworks with a sly humour and reflection on society past and present.”

The amount of hard graft and technical skill that goes into his works is also impressive. He also likes dressing up in women’s clothes – and he looks good in the extravagant frocks he designs. His trannie alter ego Claire appears in much of his art, along with his teddy bear, Alan Measles.

The arty blurb tells us: “He has forged a distinctive career that sits apart from the cooler theoretical approach of some of his peers, favouring a more flamboyant, accessible aesthetic that blurs the division of high art and popular culture.”

The MCA is very much up with the latest technology offering free wifi and an iPhone app with details of the artworks and some audio comment from the artist.

I love that contemporary art can be profoundly philosophical and really funny at the same time. The only problem is that Perry is now everywhere in the UK on TV documentaries and I guess people might get a bit tired of him. But for now, Rock on Grayson!

Went to see The Revenant at the pictures starring Oscar-winning Leonardo DiCaprio playing frontiersman Hugh Glass in 1823, in some very wild and very cold bits of the USA.

A good film, but not a great film. And boy, wasn’t it bloody! Leonardo had an easy time because there were not many lines to remember. However, he did have to do a lot of grimacing, grunting and howling in pain.

We learned a few handy tips about surviving in the wild (Hint: stay away from the Native Americans and the Frenchmen – oh, and your colleagues too!) Also some herbal medicine techniques. These included the usual herbs and stuff, but also packing  your wounds with gunpowder and setting fire to it. 

The famous scene of Leonardo being attacked by a big grizzly bear was scary and gruesome. The bear was very handsome and it was a shame she got killed. But if she’d won, the film would have been much shorter. Hmm, that’s not a bad idea . . .

One the other hand, Brooklyn was a lovely film.  We’d both read the book, but still enjoyed the screen version. A powerful drama, just a bit love story at moments. But the real power was in the telling of the expatriate experience – the competing emotional ties to new friends and to the family left behind.

(PS: Jan thought I meant the bear should have won the fight and the Oscar.)