Grayson Perry argues Donald Trump and Brexit are 'fantastic' for the arts

The Turner Prize winner sees it as an opportunity to reach new audiences
“I’m loving it”: Grayson Perry at the Creative Industries event at Central Saint Martins

Grayson Perry has lashed out at the arts world for “preaching to the converted”, saying Brexit and Donald Trump’s election are “fantastic” opportunities to reach new audiences.

The Turner Prize winner told a gathering of artists, designers, gallery owners, curators and critics that the two votes were a “big f*** you” to their cosy “Islington” consensus and their “nice parties with free booze”.

Perry, 56, called for Right-wing artists to be welcomed into the mainstream to challenge the “same old comfortable ideas”.

Speaking at a Creative Industries Federation event at Central Saint Martins, he told the audience: “I look out at this sea of black-clad media types and just think ‘You failed in your opposition of the popular Right-wing vote’ and this is a dose of smelling salts to us all. And I breathe deeply from it.

“They’re fed up of being told how to think and to feel by us lot in our lovely Islington houses doing our media thing, going to our nice parties with free booze.

“They might be cutting their nose off to spite their face both in America and over here — but as an artist I’m loving it.” The transvestite artist and TV presenter, who was born in Chelmsford and has a studio in Islington, was speaking at the launch of a new book The Creative Stance on Wednesday night. Perry has contributed a chapter in his role as chancellor of the University of the Arts London.

He said: “If you have a gallery who are the people who never come in? Blue-collar working-class Conservatives. You could throw a brick at the opening of the Tate and you wouldn’t hit anyone that voted Conservative.

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“Voting Brexit and for Trump is a big cry, it’s a big f*** you to us lot. Everyone talks about 2016 as an annus horribilis but I think it’s been fantastic as an artist. For me as an artist I love it when something comes along and makes me think ‘Wow that’s a bit shocking’. That’s what creativity is. We can’t keep on peddling our same old comfortable ideas and preach to the already converted. No, let’s go out there and genuinely engage with the majority of the population.”

Perry, whose latest TV show All Man explored contemporary masculinity, said he is working “nine-to-five” to prepare for his Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever at the Serpentine Gallery in June.

He added: “I don’t normally have a name for a show this early on but I’m fascinated by popularity. After 2016 it is a very important time to analyse what being famous actually means.”

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