Debbie Lawson was commissioned by Art Production Fund to create a solo show at the Rockefeller Center in New York from November 2023 to January 2024 as part of their Art in Focus programme. For the exhibition, she drew inspiration from the architecture of this iconic landmark. Inspired by Lee Lawrie's Arms of England, the three gilded lions which appear above the 50th Street entrance to 620 Fifth Avenue at Rockefeller Center, Lawson created site-specific works for the vitrines at 45 Rockefeller Plaza. In the vitrine spaces, the three royal lions became animated, creeping out from their carpets like animals in the woods.
Located at the Rink Level of 45 Rockefeller Plaza, the 125ft concourse featured a mural mosaic of carpet imagery and wild animals, including stags, wild boars, deer, tigers, and bears. Iconography within Lawson's work references ancient animal motifs found in traditional carpets and comes from the artist's careful study of patterns within nature and the built environment. As viewers wandered through the spaces filled with carpet-camouflaged wild animal imagery, Lawson hoped they become main characters within her artistic presentation, embracing the adventure of uncovering hidden, sometimes strange or darker, meanings within.
Three stag sculptures were also on view at 45 Rockefeller Center and 30 Rockefeller Center lobbies.
To complement the Art In Focus exhibition, Art Production Fund, in collaboration with Lawson, hosted an Art Sundae event. An initiative designed to foster children's confidence through artmaking, the artist led a workshop to create a public art installation displayed at 10 Rockefeller Plaza.
'For her first New York exhibition, we are honoured to showcase an artist so inspired by the architecture of Rockefeller Center. Bringing to life nostalgic carpets with elements of camouflaged wild animals, Lawson’s surreal carpet sculptures will mesmerize and surprise visitors during the New York winter season. - CASEY FREMONT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ART PRODUCTION FUND
'Rockefeller Center is best known for its murals and sculptures, yet the facade carvings caught Debbie Lawson’s eye. The gilded lions from Lee Lawrie’s carvings have been reborn as wild lions emerging from ornate tapestries, creating a seamless symbiosis between the Center’s historic design elements and this contemporary art exhibition.' - EB KELLY, HEAD OF ROCKEFELLER CENTER AND SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR AT TISHMAN SPEYER
ART IN FOCUS is a multidisciplinary program that showcases installations by contemporary artists inspired by the New York City landscape and contemporary life. Artists featured in the series will have their work displayed in a number of prominent and unexpected public locations throughout Rockefeller Center. Art in Focus is presented in partnership with Rockefeller Center and Art Production Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences, and expanding awareness through contemporary art. Past Art in Focus artists include Joana Avillez, Hein Koh, Portia Munson, LaKela Brown, Lucy Sparrow, Angelica Hicks, Vanessa German, Ryan Flores, Genevieve Gaignard, Oliver Jeffers, Hiba Schahbaz, Sanford Biggers, Hilary Pecis, Maurice Harris, Lisa Congdon, Max Colby, Hugo McCloud, Emily Mullin, Arghavan Khosravi, Lorraine Nam, Joel Gaitan, Basil Kincaid and most recently Dominique Fung.
ART PRODUCTION FUND is a non-profit organisation dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences and expanding awareness through contemporary art. Past projects include: Elmgreen & Dragset,“Prada Marfa,” Valentine, TX, Ugo Rondinone, “Seven Magic Mountains,” Las Vegas, Jeff Koons, “Seated Ballerina,” Rockefeller Plaza, NYC, Zoe Buckman, “CHAMP,” LA; Raul de Nieves “When I Look In To Your Eyes I See the Sun,” Miami; Nancy Baker Cahill “Liberty Bell”, multiple cities; Sanford Biggers “Oracle”, Rockefeller Center, NY; Lucy Sparrow “Tampa Fresh Foods'', Tampa, FL. Derrick Adams “Funtime Unicorns”, Rockefeller Center, NY, Sanford Biggers “Oracle”, Hammer Museum.
https://www.artproductionfund.org/projects/debbie-lawson-at-rockefeller-center