Grayson Perry says ‘art is medicine for our deeper selves’ ahead of charity auction

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Grayson Perry has called art a “medicine for our deeper selves” as he donated works for auction in aid of a children’s therapy charity The Turner prize winner, whose work will be sold at Sotheby’s to support AT The Bus, said: “Art can reach parts of us that are inaccessible to other ways of communication. The brightly-coloured print features the motorbike trampling words such as ‘Racism’, ‘Sexism’ and ‘Poverty’, and was created in 2018. open image in gallery Perry ‘s work Selfie with Political Causes will be donated to the charity auction The artist, who studied art at Braintree College of Further Education and Portsmouth College of Art and Design, is celebrated for his ceramic vases, tapestries, and often appears as his female alter-ego “Claire” to promote his work. It’s like a Fabergé egg, small and rich.” open image in gallery Also being auctioned off is Maggi Hambling’s Wild North Sea All proceeds will go to AT The Bus, which was founded in 2018 and offers school-based art therapy on a double-decker bus to support the well-being of young people. Charity founder and joint CEO Juli Beattie said she would like to “thank the artists and Sotheby’s for their huge generosity and kindness in enabling this auction to take place.” Patron of the charity Jenny Saville added that “the work of AT The Bus makes a profound and direct difference to the lives of young people.” Other artists who have donated work include Thomas Heatherwick, Patrick Huges, Veronica Ryan, and Maggi Hambling.