Map of an Englishman is the first of Perry’s etching on the theme of maps – later followed by Print for a Politician, 2005, Map of Nowhere, 2008, Map of Days, 2012, and The Island of Bad Art, 2013. Consciously referencing the style and lettering of 16th and 17th century cartography, it was partly inspired by seeing an artwork work by Emma Kay, a map of the world drawn from memory, and is also informed by W. Jeffrey’s illustrations for The Pilgrim’s Progress, c.1800, which depict imaginary places such as ‘The Slough of Despond’ and the ‘County of Coveting’.

To make these prints Perry draws directly onto sheets of transparent film in black pen, starting at the top left corner and working his way down to the bottom right. The complexity of his compositions is such that they can take months to complete, allowing time and space for improvisation along the way. The finished image is then transferred onto photo-sensitised etching plates, the scale requiring it be composited from four separate plates. Rather than wiping the plate clean, Perry prefers to leave a little ink on the surface, saying, ‘I like it to have a sort of antique, dirty look.’

Effectively a gigantic self-portrait, instead of places, the map charts a multitude of psychological states, each emotion represented by a church, with other buildings named after curious artefacts of English life such as Call Centre, Car Boot, Classic F.M.. The land resembles the two-halves of the brain, bisected by the river Orgasm. The surrounding bodies of water are named after mental disorders Paranoia, Dementia, Anorexia Nervosa and within the island there is a vast lake called Consciousness and smaller ones named Unaware, Mum and Dad. Self Belief appears to be a prosperous little island, whereas the NHS is eroding into the sea. This work requires concentration to take in, the visual chatter of the words perfectly matching its subject of low-level neurosis. The minute detail requires we press our noses up to the work as we inquire into the artist’s mind.

Perry shows an obvious enjoyment in drawing the buildings, an enthusiasm for architecture which culminated in his building A House for Essex, 2015. There are Russian stave churches, phallic towers, a lighthouse and a castle called Red Mist. The map features just a few real people. Protective feelings towards Perry’s Daught-Daught are signified by a tree house, neighboured by the church of Kittens. Elsewhere, tucked behind the cathedral of Bad Reviews are the modest dwellings of three critics - Searle, Collings and Jones – Perry’s harshest critic Jonathan Jones banished to an island which threatens to float off the map.