Debbie Lawson
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Artist Debbie Lawson, featured in AQ Volume VI, was born in Scotland and is known primarily for her surreal sculptures merging wildlife and fauna with richly patterned carpet. She graduated in Fine Art Sculpture from the Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins, after studying English Literature at UEA. Her fascination with the hidden life of everyday objects, particularly from the domestic interior, is influenced by gothic fiction, the picaresque, and folk tales, and underpinned by her interest in psychoanalysis.
She was commissioned by the Art Production Fund to create a solo exhibition of her work throughout the Rockefeller Center, New York, and has also shown nationally and internationally, including at Leila Heller Dubai, Museum Villa Rot in Germany, Turner Contemporary, the Royal Academy of Arts, Bonhams, Sotheby's, Pallant House Gallery, and Perth Museum & Art Gallery, where her work is on permanent display. She has had her sculptures placed in the UK Parliamentary Collection, University of the Arts Collection, and the Saatchi Gallery Collection, among many others.
Lawson received the JD Fergusson Award and the British Council Artist Award, and her commissioned work can be seen in public spaces all over the world. She is represented by Sargent's Daughters gallery in New York, where she will have a solo show in March 2026. Her work is currently on view at the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Trust's Hardwick Hall, and will feature at the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2025 in South Korea later this year. She lives and works in rural Kent, UK.
www.debbielawson.com
What inspired you to become an artist, and how did you decide to commit to this path?
For me it was never a case of choosing to be an artist—art was just what I did every day. Initially, I chose a different career path because I didn't think I could make an actual living from doing the thing that I loved. Now I can't imagine doing anything else, and I feel like the most authentic version of myself when I'm working in the studio.
Could you share the story or concept behind your recent work?
I've recently been working with jute, a material that was processed in huge mills in my hometown of Dundee, and is still used in the carpet industry. I wanted to interweave something of my own history into my studio practice, combining jute with patterned Persian-style rugs. I like the idea that I am adding to the story of how textiles and carpets have been traded throughout the world.
What role does experimentation and exploration play in your artistic practice?
I try to push certain materials to their limit when I'm experimenting with new sculptures. Some of them hold their form and others collapse, but it is out of experimentation and making mistakes that new ideas often emerge.
What message do you hope your art conveys to the world?
I would like to think my work offers a different angle on the world; one which invokes a feeling of quiet magic. I'm just creating my own quite theatrical version of normality, and I invite other people to enter into the narrative. Those who do, willingly and with an open mind, are my kind of people. Sometimes my work is inspired by the hidden life of everyday objects, and other times by what I see as the aspirational side, or the rebellious side. I am naturally drawn to the animals of the wilderness, quietly finding their way through vast, unfolding landscapes like the romantic heroes of literature.
Share a mantra or favorite quote that keeps you going.
I am an optimist, and I'm driven by the desire to conjure the perfect piece of work that reflects the world as I see it. When I need extra inspiration, I walk through the Cast Courts of the Victoria & Albert Museum. It's a special place for me.
