Lucy Sparrow
Lucy Sparrow | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986 or 1987 (age 37–38) |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Contemporary art, Soft sculpture, Street art, Young British Artists |
| Notable work | The Cornershop |
| Website | http://www.sewyoursoul.co.uk |
Lucy Sparrow (born July 1986[1] is a contemporary artist originating from Bath, England. She works at the intersection of contemporary art and craft setting the agenda for textiles within the urban art scene. She works mainly with felt and wool, creating oversized soft versions of existing objects, according to her website. Her work often features the SSRI prescription drug, Prozac.[2]
Sparrow has been involved in a number of notable group shows in the UK; for instance, she was a contributor to the Victoria and Albert Museum 2013 travelling street art collection alongside Banksy, Blek le Rat, Jamie Hewlett, Pure Evil, D*Face and urban illustrator Oh Jiwon.[3] Her first solo show at Hoxton Gallery was Imitation, which recreated famous artworks out of felt, including a shark in a tank by Damien Hirst.[4]
The Cornershop
In 2014, Sparrow created a Kickstarter campaign to fund her first major exhibition.[5] The Cornershop was a soft sculpture recreation of a British newsagent's installed in a derelict cornershop in East London. According to news sources, it took Sparrow and her assistant seven months and 300 sq metres of felt to create the 4,000 items on display.[6][7]
Madame Roxy's Erotic Emporium
In 2015, Lucy Sparrow made an installation of a sex shop in London's Soho, saying that her inspiration for the work was her five years working as a stripper in a nightclub, and that she wished to make people question the increasing suppression of some sexual practices in British law, and the gentrification of Soho.[8][9] The exhibition was called Madame Roxy’s Erotic Emporium and included pornographic magazines, whips, toys and jars full of STIs.[10]
8 'till Late
In 2017, Sparrow installed a replica of a bodega in The Standard, High Line hotel in New York City.[11][12]
References
- ^ "Heartfelt works put Lucy on artistic map".
- ^ "Fabric artist Lucy Sparrow prepares to an entire cornershop out of felt and wool". Inspiringcity.com. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
- ^ Ellis, Dawn. "Crowds flock to see Banksy work on show in Newton Abbot". Torquay Herald Express. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Khan, Tabish. "Imitation at Hoxton Gallery". The Londonist. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "The Cornershop". Kickstarter. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Curtis, Dan. "Artist Lucy Sparrow's felt corner shop open for business". BBC. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Perraudin, Frances. "Sew Fantastic". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Battersby, Matilda. "Madame Roxy's Erotic Emporium, Lucy Sparrow: Meet the ex-stripper challenging porn censorship with a felt sex shop". The Independent. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Lucy Sparrow tackles 'pruder' with stitched sex shop in London's Soho". Dezeen. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
- ^ Hallam, Rosie. "Hot fuzz: Soho's newest sex shop made entirely of felt – in pictures". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- ^ "Lucy Sparrow's Felt Bodega Hits The Standard, High Line". Retrieved 27 Jun 2017.
- ^ Gopnik, Blake (6 June 2017). "A 'Fauxdega' Where the Real Bodegas Have Been Priced Out". New York Times. New York. Retrieved 27 June 2017.