Grayson Perry 'Inspirations', Royal Geographical Society

Grayson Perry is one of Britain’s most celebrated artists, known for his sculpture and quilt-work as for his feminine alter-ego Claire. His practice has long been concerned with what you might call the fabric of society. While variously medieval and classical in form, his tapestries and urns are reflections on the contemporary landscape: a place dotted with billboards, runway models and family dinner tables.

Kitsch and class are among Perry's enduring preoccupations, and in 2013, he presented ‘All in the Best Possible Taste,’ a television series which looked at the ways in which British social classes differ in their aesthetic preferences. The project was immortalised in a series of tapestries with the gloriously pithy, Freud-referencing title ‘The Vanity of Small Differences.’

In 2015, he returned to the nation's screens with 'Grayson’s Perry’s Dream House' which documented the construction of a ‘House for Essex.’ A fanciful building, half-residence, half-chapel, it was dedicated to a deceased (and fictional) woman by the name of Julie May Cope, and explored the unique iconography of Perry's home county.

While Perry's art is highly distinctive, it's not without its inheritances. On March 29, he discusses his influences at 'Inspirations', the English PEN'S annual fundraising event. Early bird tickets are available until the end of January so make sure sure to pick up yours while you can.