Debbie Lawson: In a Cowslip's Bell I Lie presents life-sized animal sculptures — bears, cougars, wild dogs, monkeys — that emerge from Persian carpets through trompe-l'oeil effects, patterns meticulously aligned to create seamless continuous surfaces. Taking its title from Shakespeare's The Tempest, the exhibition imagines creatures breaking free from the decorative forms that have long subsumed them — from heraldic carvings to William Morris designs. For Lawson, these animals are also avatars of women historically confined to the domestic and the decorative, their considerable creative talents trapped within the daily grind.
