About

McIlhatton (B1985 Belfast) is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily with textiles, found materials, and sculptural installation. Her practice is grounded in mythology, ritual, and the politics of domestic life. Transforming everyday monotony into sacred acts of making.

Through meditative, hand processes; stitching, knotting, weaving, she invokes the divine feminine in all her forms. Her work is both devotional and defiant, blurring the line between craft and fine art, ritual and resistance.

McIlhatton’s installations are tactile and immersive. Viewers are invited to touch, enter, and breathe within them. To participate in quiet, radical acts of reflection. A contrast to her own childhood shaped by conflict and fear.

Using fashion waste and found objects, she practices a kind of sacred recycling. Every material is treated with tenderness and reverence. Nothing is discarded. Everything is transformed. This is sustainability not just as ethics, but as empathy.

“When I make the work, I remake myself.” Her labour-intensive practice becomes a form of self-healing, a ritual of reclamation, and a celebration of resilience.

McIlhatton was part of MASS Sculpture CC 2024/25. Worked at Vivienne Westwood Couture (2010-14.) Graduated Fashion Design, 1st Class Hons. De Montfort University (2007) McIlhatton has been shortlisted for the Clyde & Co and MacFarlanes Art prize 2025 and Longlisted for the Aesthetica Magazine Art prize 2025. She has also taken part in the PADA residency in Portugal 2023.

Recent exhibitions include Solo show ‘Domestic Goddess; Worship at her Altar’ Heckmann Design Gallery, London (2024).

Group shows; SHRINES, Amen Lodge, St Paul's, London (2025). Interlaced. The Painted Church, Cambridge (2025). Women in Art Fair, Mall Galleries, London (2024) and Southwark Park Gallery Open, London (2024). In 2023 Jenny was a grantee of the British Council in the Philippines and the Forest Preservation Society (PH) to work in conversation and collaboration with the Indigenous Kalandang (Peace) weavers, ‘Interwoven, Life, Art and Peace’ exhibited Drifter Gallery London, UP CHE Costume Museum (Philippines) and Community hall of Kalandang (Peace) Weavers AGMIHICU ancestral domain (PH). She won a judges choice award at the World Festival of Quilts, Birmingham NEC (2022).

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

Current:

Clyde & Co Art Prize. City of London. April 2025 - April 2026

Macfarlanes Art Prize. City of London. April 2025 - April 2026

Past Solo:

Heckmann Design Gallery Domestic Goddess; Worship at Her Altar. Solo show July -September 2024

Past Group:

Aesthetica Magazine Art Prize. York. September 2025.

The Painted Church. Cambridge. Interlaced. March 2025

Amen Lodge. St Pauls, London. SHRINES. March 2025

ARTSY. The End Gallery. Chinese New Year. Jan 2025

Southwark Park Galleries Annual open. November - December 2024

Women in Art Fair Mall Galleries London. October 2024

Tenderbooks Fashion and art pop up. London. August 2024

Community Centre AGMIHICU Ancestral Domain, Higaonon, Bukidnon. Philippines. Interwoven; Life, Art and Peace. Feb 2024.

UP CHE Museum Interwoven; Life, Art and Peace. Manila. Dec 2023 – Feb 2024

Drifter Gallery Interwoven; Life, Art and Peace. London. October 2023

PADA Gallery End of Residency show Lisbon. August 2023

Drifter Gallery Shop window interactive installation. London. July 2023

Radio Kings Cross Solo. Fashion series. August-October 2022

World Festival of Quilts Birmingham NEC. August 2022

Ryebank Gallery Group show. Rye 21st May - 5th July 2022

Leicester Design Season Rip it up, start again. Leicester October 2021

Delta house gallery Take me Away Wimbledon. October 2020

George Mayfair Art of hope Global Charity Fundraiser auction. November 2019

Radio Kings Cross Amygdala. July 2019 - October 2019

Radio Kings Cross The seen and the unseen October 2017 - December 2017