Grayson Perry
(Image credit: Press)

As an artist famed for hard-hitting ceramics and cross-dressing tendencies, Grayson Perry has carved an unusual niche for himself in the British psyche. Rising to prominence in 2003 with a well-deserved Turner Prize nomination, Perry and his alter ego, Claire, have fast proved themselves treasures of the UK art scene.

Straddling the media and the real world like a seasoned pro, Perry will this month mark his stellar status with the Walthamstow Tapestry - a ballsy take on the age-old art form, set to span East London's Victoria Miro 14 Gallery. Inspired by Malaysian Batik and Eastern European folk art, the tapestry casts its withering gaze over brand-obsessed Britain - and in the vein of some latter-day Chaucer, we can't help but love Perry for it.

Harriet Lloyd-Smith was the Arts Editor of Wallpaper*, responsible for the art pages across digital and print, including profiles, exhibition reviews, and contemporary art collaborations. She started at Wallpaper* in 2017 and has written for leading contemporary art publications, auction houses and arts charities, and lectured on review writing and art journalism. When she’s not writing about art, she’s making her own.