Domestic Goddess, Worship at Her Altar at Heckmann Studio Design Gallery
Heckmann Studio Design Gallery presents its inaugural exhibition of Jenny McIlhatton, a sustainable textile artist from Belfast. Domestic Goddess, Worship at Her Altar continues until 30 September 2024.
The show invites you into Jenny’s world. A place where divinity meets domesticity. The artist, who grew up amid a climate of conflict, asks us to question who and what we worship. She mines mythology for female narratives and muses on what ancient matriarchal worship might have looked like. Writers like Madeline Millar, Natalie Haynes and Bolu Babalola with their contemporary retelling of mythology inspire the artist’s vision.
Image: Breath of Athena, For Gaia and Working Women Everywhere, An Ocean of Sadness for Medusa. Image above: Domestic throne close up.
Jenny uses fashion waste and laborious hand processes, stitching and knotting to create her world. The triptych “Breath of Athena”, “For Gaia and Working Women Everywhere” and “An Ocean of Sadness for Medusa” references Christian religious triptychs. The Father, Son and Holy Ghost were replaced by Greek goddesses, who were divine but also deeply flawed.
The focal point of the exhibition is “Domestic Throne.” The artist invites you to step through the columns into this sacred space, dedicated to those who have little time for magic. The repetitive labour of the hand-knotting honours the unpaid rituals and routines of parents and carers. Constructed from leftover stacks of material destined to become protective face masks during the pandemic, the temple offers a space of protection and reflection.
Image: Domestic Throne. Jenny McIlhatton.
Irish and Nigerian goddesses are honoured in “Aine pronounced aw-ne” and “Oshun River of Power.” Located a world apart, these goddesses represent love, fertility and abundance the sun and the river respectively. They are a nod to inspirational women in the artist’s life.
The show invites you into Jenny’s world. A place where divinity meets domesticity. The artist, who grew up amid a climate of conflict, asks us to question who and what we worship. She mines mythology for female narratives and muses on what ancient matriarchal worship might have looked like. Writers like Madeline Millar, Natalie Haynes and Bolu Babalola with their contemporary retelling of mythology inspire the artist’s vision.
Jenny uses fashion waste and laborious hand processes, stitching and knotting to create her world. The triptych “Breath of Athena”, “For Gaia and Working Women Everywhere” and “An Ocean of Sadness for Medusa” references Christian religious triptychs. The Father, Son and Holy Ghost were replaced by Greek goddesses, who were divine but also deeply flawed.
The focal point of the exhibition is “Domestic Throne.” The artist invites you to step through the columns into this sacred space, dedicated to those who have little time for magic. The repetitive labour of the hand-knotting honours the unpaid rituals and routines of parents and carers. Constructed from leftover stacks of material destined to become protective face masks during the pandemic, the temple offers a space of protection and reflection.
Irish and Nigerian goddesses are honoured in “Aine pronounced aw-ne” and “Oshun River of Power.” Located a world apart, these goddesses represent love, fertility and abundance the sun and the river respectively. They are a nod to inspirational women in the artist’s life.
Selvedge: Where is your most inspiring space/place to create?
Jenny: Since November 2022, I’ve had the privilege of my own studio, it’s become my Virginnia Woolf “A Room of One’s own” it has allowed me the physical and emotional space to make my most ambitious work. I also had an incredible experience on the PADA residency in Portugal where I spent August 2023 living and working at their studios, a calm ex industrial space outside of Lisbon, I could slow down, focus on work and met an incredible community of fellow artists.
S: What has inspired you recently?
J: I was blown away by the Barbican “Unravel” exhibition of textile art this year. Seeing so many artists across time and cultures, with their individual approaches to making work in textiles. It made me feel heartened that textile art was beginning to have the recognition that it deserves.
S:What is your most cherished textile, and why?
J: I have a Harris Tweed Vivienne Westwood coat from 2014, a leaving gift from the team after my 4 years of work there. The coat represents Vivienne as a pioneer of sustainability in fashion, long before it was cool. Her support of local artisans and environmental practices within fashion and textiles taught me so much and informs the art I make today.
Image: Oshun.
The garment is now tinged with grief. The friend who gifted it passed away in May this year and we lost our dear Vivienne in 2022, but it fills me with memories of that very special time in my life.
S: Where did you learn your craft?
J: I graduated with a first-class honours in fashion design from De Montfort in 2007, but I would say I learnt an incredible amount from my work in couture at Vivienne Westwood. This was followed by other fashion houses like Saint Laurent and Givenchy. All that knowledge and experience of textiles and the fashion industry shapes my textile art practice today.
Domestic Goddess, Worship at Her Altar continues until 30 September 2024 at Heckmann Studio Design Gallery.
Find out more:
@heckmanndesign