Map of Nowhere
Artist
Grayson Perry
(Born in Chelmsford, England, 1960)
Date2008
MediumEtching on paper
DimensionsSheet: 60 1/4 × 44 5/16 inches (153 × 112.5 cm)
ClassificationsPrint
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds provided by Bryson B. Brodie in memory of his father H. Keith H. Brodie, MD
Object number2018.1.1
Collections
- MODERN & CONTEMPORARY
- WORKS ON PAPER
Edition68
State24
Label TextMap of Nowhere takes inspiration from the Ebstorf map, a hand-painted thirteenth-century mappa mundi (world map) from northern Germany. The Ebstorf map depicted the world centered on Jerusalem and encircled by the head, hands, and feet of Jesus Christ. In his version, Grayson Perry has created a wry commentary on both modern life and the mappa mundi genre by replacing Christ with his own self-portrait. Filling Perry’s orb, the center of which is an “island of doubt,” are highly detailed depictions of buildings, plant and animal life, and anatomy with contemporary labels such as “lifestyle guru,” “Starbucks,” and “Shopaholic.” The result is a twenty-first-century worldview reflecting Perry’s fondness for provocative imagery that appears incompatible with his traditional, refined printing technique.