The vibrant colours are bound to attract the eye but the subject matter – from tattooed cage fighters to a celebrity chef reimagined as God – will surprise, challenge, perhaps even anger visitors to one of England’s most historic religious buildings.
Grayson Perry’s work The Vanity of Small Differences – six vivid tapestries, each 4 metres by 2 metres, packed with biblical scenes and themes telling a story of class and social climbing – is being shown in the nave of Salisbury Cathedral this summer. It is the first time the tapestries have been displayed in an ecclesiastical setting.
As the final tapestry was being hung on Tuesday, the Very Rev Nicholas Papadopulos, the dean of Salisbury, accepted that the work might not appeal to all visitors of the Wiltshire cathedral, but said the ancient building was actually the perfect place to view it.
“For one thing, Perry’s titles and a lot of his forms are drawn from medieval sacred art,” he said. For example, the tapestry The Adoration of the Cage Fighters is a nod to paintings such as Andrea Mantegna’s The Adoration of the Shepherds, while The Agony in the Car Park is a reference to Giovanni Bellini’s The Agony in the Garden.
“The originals were inspired by buildings like the cathedral and the stories told here. What we are doing is completing the circle. We’re returning these tapestries to the building that inspired the paintings that inspired Perry. I think they belong here, in a sense.”
Papadopulos said the subject matter highlighted in the 10-year-old work was more relevant than ever. “Perry is interested in social cohesion and social division. In the time since these tapestries were created, we’ve had Brexit, Covid, war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis.
“What I think the tapestries do is give us a perspective of how we are seen; Perry’s view of what our society looks like. It’s entirely valid and proper that they are shown here.”
Looking again at The Adoration of the Cage Fighters, Papadopulos spotted a strange coincidence. The tattoo on one of the fighter’s backs appears to show the archangel Michael battling Satan. Directly above is a stained glass window showing the same scene. “I’ve only just seen that,” he said. “That’s neat.”
Over the last decade the tapestries have been displayed in galleries, museums and stately homes. Perry was not at the cathedral for the hanging but said: “It was conceived as a public artwork and I wanted to see the tapestries shared with very wide and varied audiences. My hope remains that it not only delights the eye and engages visitors, but sparks debate about class, taste and British society.”
Before they were hung the curator, Beth Hughes, said she did not know if the tapestries would feel right in the cathedral. “Until they are actually in place you don’t know if it will work, but I think they fit into the cathedral architecture and really belong.
“They will make some people’s eyes pop and brighten but I’m sure they will jar for others. I really hope people question themselves over their reactions – and if they are interacting then the artwork is doing its job.”
The Vanity of Small Differences will be on display from 29 June until 25 September 2022
