It z a sinʈ̇sis v hu h z n hu h drīmz v biyñ: “a fanṭsivrśn v mslf, nɖr fŭli mel nr fŭli fīmel”, az h nots in ɖ capśn. Yt f it z a fanṭsi, ɖs 2017 viźn z olso ɖ most oʈntic wrc v art in ɖs intîr asmbli v Peri’z “Smaś Hits”. Hir h z, h cn b no uɖr. H lcs y ded in ɖ î, sirịs n fr wns nt brecñ ǎt intu ɖ blǒci laf ɖt’s fmiłr t woćrz v hiz TV śoz.

Peri z a maṇfestli taḷntd artist hu cn drw dīteld, prisîs, complex iṃjz. Bt hiz luv v clutr recs olmst evri wrc in ɖs x’biśn. Īvn in Rclînñ Artist, ɖr z a manic are v simbolic objicts, includñ hiz ćîldhd tediber Aḷn Mīzlz.

Or at līst, sm priṿsi. Ɖs ptiklr ćîldhd îcón z so oṿśerd in Peri’z art – hir h cmz agn, drîvñ a rêsñcar acrs a westland – ɖt hiz simbolic pǎr hz loñ sins ivaṗretd. Bt ɖen Peri dz’nt preznt hiz obseśn wɖ Aḷn Mīzlz az a sirịs moṇmeńa. It z mor lîc a slf-conśs paṛdi v wn. Mīzlz z a joci, intnṣti-fri totm in ɖ endlisli îronic n imbaṛst apoḷji fr an artist’s inr lîf ɖt blerz at y fṛm ol ɖz pots, prints n taṗstriz.It z ol vri Ñgliś – az Peri z so penḟli awer. Wn wōl hir fīćrz a c’lex́n v objicts ɖt ppl gev him az h turd Ñgḷnd in hiz rīsnt Ćanl 4 siriz Grêsn Peri’z Fl Ñgliś. Ɖ randm hōl dz’nt cḿṇcet mć abt Ñgḷnd, olɖo I faund a ftbōl fan’z flag bẹrñ hiz lêt frend’z nem muvñ. Scots me injô Peri’z ǒn medteśn on hiz naśnl îdntti, a brǎn n yelo plet ɖt paṛdiz ɖ clumzinis v rli Ñgliś slipwér sramics, dec̣retd wɖ a per v gluvz n ɖ wrdz “Ñgliś Wancr”.

Ɖt apart, no xpḷneśn z ofrd fr ẃ an x’biśn obsest wɖ Ñgliśnis z in ɖ Scotiś capitl, or ẃt Peri ʈncs mcs Ñgḷnd difṛnt fṛm ɖ uɖr cuntriz v ɖ YC. Ɖen agn, claṛti z nt hiz forte – ʈrowñ ǎt “îronic” clīśez z. Cumḟtblancit z a taṗstri ɖt nemz ɖ ʈñz h asośịts wɖ a gd, inclūsiv – az opozd t a naro, Brex̣ti – Ñgliśnis: fiś n ćips, Ɖ Arćrz, Eric n Ŕni, a nîs cupa. Ol v ẃć a Brexitr mt lîc, tù.

Az anaḷsīz v naśnl îdntti g, it z nt xacli Jorj Orwél. I yst t ʈnc Peri wz a vri clevr man hu wz’nt mć v an artist: gret at kretñ n comntñ, nt so gd at mcñ pots. Hiz incrisñli scatrgun ǎtporñz on Ñgliś îdntti r, hvr, mcñ m wundr abt ɖ clevrnis. Ɖr z no insît t hiz rsîtlz v Ñgliś atṛbyts. Ɖ Vaṇti v Smōl Difṛnsz updets Hogarʈ’s pictorịl naṛtiv Ɖ Rêc’s Progres t ɖ 21st snć̣ri wɖ veg, randm refṛnsz t tecnoḷji n sośl mīdia: Hogarʈ’s Tom Rêcwél z nǎ a técbiłner (wǎ!) hu dîz in a rodcraś. Bt ɖ bizi, oṿilabṛt taṗstrisīnz d’nt land eni s’tiricl punćz: ɖe jst gt lost in ẃimzi n emti qoteśn. Uɖr artists, sć az Devid Hocni n Yinca Śoṇbare, hv dn mć betr modn vrśnz v Ɖ Rêc’s Progres.

Peri dz unḍstand ɖ Ñgliś midlclas, ɖo. H hz bcm popylr, feṃs n b’luvid bî śẹrñ its ambivḷns twdz art. Ɖr z a naśnl preɉdis agnst ppl hu “tec ɖmslvz tù sirịsli”, ispeṣ́li artists. Ɖs x’biśn z fl v artwrcs ɖt apil t ɖt sspiśn bî biyñ flip. Peri constntli dnîz ɖt h tecs art sirịsli at ol. H paṛdiz moḍnizm n īvn Africn rlijs art in sūdo-fetiś sculpćrz h md fr a śo at ɖ Britiś Ḿziym. It’s nt ofnsiv, jst pôntlis: hǎ sili ɖt enwn śd b’liv art cn b salveṣ́nl or pzes majicpǎrz! Eni hint v romans hz t b unḍmaind bî a joc. N yt, ɖr z nt mć hilaṛti hir. It’s ol tù bitr n twistd n … Ñgliś.

Peri hz ćozn t b a srtn cnd v midlclas enttenr, ʈrowñ awe hiz taḷnt on ɖ vaṇti v smōl aḿzmnts. Ɖ lac v paśn n curij in so mni v ɖz wrcs z dpresñ. Qotñ n mocñ, in an art ɖt rlentlisli avôdz powtri or depʈ, h z ɖ fiḷstîn’z Blêc, ɖ idịt’s inṭlecćl n ɖ artist modn Britn hz ćozn fr its ǒn.