A Gateway

Best known for painting a nude Marc Jacobs with hot pink Stephen Sprouse graffiti, William Lemon is a man of many talents. He’s a designer of graphic urban jumpers and hip printed tights. He transforms models into scaled reptiles and mysterious clowns with masterful body paint and covers canvases with his organic patterns. And earlier this month, he installed a provocative series of these latter works in Soho’s I Heart boutique.

Five screen-printed and appliquéd linen canvases grace the store’s white brick walls, perfectly complimenting its hot pink neon sign and Boho ambiance. With the quirky appeal of Pop Art, the undecipherable symbolism of an early Pollock and the cloudy distortions of Surrealism, the first two works in Lemon’s instillation are indicative of his outrageous aesthetic. “Hills and Clouds,” presents the viewer with a bizarre landscape of patterned hills and lumpy, paisley clouds. The second work, titled “Sunburst,” is decidedly abstract, depicting a golden ball surrounded by a jigsaw puzzle of bold colors and jagged shapes.

The final three tapestries fit together to form a piece Lemon calls, “A Gateway.” This dream-like series places a soothing blue and violet “cloud” tapestry between two “hill” tapestries. But these are no ordinary hills; they are layered from top to bottom with a busy leaf print: a wave of bubblegum pink and a shocking lime and citrus pattern that is best described as the coat of a psychedelic cheetah.

Lemon’s tapestries are a portal to his peculiar fantasy world. The instillation is vibrant; the work is a breath of fresh air and a fitting addition to the collection of treasures at I Heart.

For pricing and additional information, call or visit I Heart:
262 Mott Street, New York, NY 10012; 212.219.9265