From felt delis to immersive hand-sewn candy stores, British artist Lucy Sparrow stitches nostalgia, humor, and pop culture into unforgettable installations that blur the line between art, theater, and community.
BY STEPHANIE DAVIS SMITH
When did you attend your first Miami Art Week? I first showed my work at Miami Art Week in 2015, but I first attended in 2016. That was a very memorable year as I sold the whole Deli installation to one client.
How will your installation be different this year? I will show a brand-new immersive concept—a candy store titled Sugar Rush—filled with 35,000 handmade items. A large display of candy bars, a pick and mix concept, and nostalgic vintage advertising works in felt.
When did you learn how to sew? I started sewing when I was six, and my mum bought me a bag of felt pieces to keep me quiet! Once I realized I could make anything I wanted, there was no stopping me.
What does being an artist mean to you? The freedom to communicate directly with my audience. To transport them to a parallel, soft, and technicolor universe.
What do you not like? The misconception of my process. When people think my work is mass-produced in a factory, when in fact every piece is painstakingly hand-sewn, painted, and signed.
How has your work changed in recent years? The scale and aspirations of my work have grown. My understanding of the process between artist and audience has also developed. I’ve realized my work is as much about the reaction and contribution of the audience as the art itself. My current process can be defined as “endurance art.” It’s about building something immersive but intemporal. A moment we can all share that will exist and then disappear.
Is there a piece of advice you were given by another artist you still use today? Deborah Curtis once told me to pace myself and to make sure to rest. I wholeheartedly ignored that advice at the time, but now it’s something I try to put into practice.
Your work critiques consumerism, mass production, and brand packaging, while also celebrating the craft of handmade objects. But you sell the objects too. Is that tongue in cheek? My work has never been a critique of consumerism; it’s an homage to community and the brands that exist within the communal spaces we all inhabit. It’s a celebration of those products that bring us together and inspire nostalgia, happiness, and provoke emotion.
You’ve crafted a New York bodega, sex peep show, and the Crown Jewels in felt… what is next for a felt-solution? I have so many projects percolating in my mind. But the next large-scale installation will be in a museum setting. To be announced in 2026.
Do you ever dabble in other art mediums? All those media are part of each installation. As Sarah Cascone from Artnet wrote in a review of my first U.S. show, ‘while it may be tempting to categorize Sparrow as a fiber artist, or a sculptor, she is also very much a painter. Each of the labels on her many packaged goods are painstakingly hand-painted.’
What kind of art do you collect? I love anything banana themed! I do a lot of art swaps with other artists.
I read that you were once an adult entertainer. How did that inform your art? As an introvert, that period brought me out of my shell. I learned how to talk to lots of different types of people. It’s all about sales, whether in a strip club or an art fair. The main purpose of working in clubs was to make as much money as quickly as possible to fund my art career.
Do you dream in felt? Yes! I have recurring nightmares about shows with empty shelves and people stacking the wrong products in the wrong place. I also have some lovely colorful dreams inspired by the long days in one of my installations.
