About

Jenny McIlhatton (b.1985. Belfast, Northern Ireland.) Working in London, McIlhatton is an interdisciplinary artist specialising in textiles. She mines mythology for the divine female in all her forms. Creating sculptural installations, she uses ritualistic and repetitive hand processes. The politics of domestic life and its monotony are explored through her meditative making.

Viewers are invited to touch or step into her sacred spaces. Growing up amid a climate of conflict and fear her work offers the audience space for meditation and calm. McIlhatton believes in making the work she remakes herself.

Through the transformation of fashion waste and found objects in her art; everything is tenderly given new life. Nothing is destroyed or discarded. Recycling with reverence, as if the earth were a loved one.

McIlhatton is 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

Upcoming

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:

The Painted Church. Cambridge. Interlaced. March 2025

Amen Lodge. St Pauls, London. SHRINES. March 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