This Sunday marks International Women’s Day, an important date in the calendar when people around the world will celebrate female empowerment and women's rights. As we’re all about girl power, we’re celebrating the women that inspire us, too.
Let’s hear it for the girls, and everyone that champions them. Happy International Women’s Day.
Charlie Barton
It’s not just us that thinks Charlie Barton is amazing. The late legendary astronomer Sir Patrick Moore said of her work: “Charlie shows the moon in a new perspective, she makes the lure of the moon even more irresistible.” When it comes to the cosmos, it’s a constant inspiration for the Kingston University, School of Fine Art alumnus, who in turn is a constant inspiration for us. Each of her paintings comes with a little bit of stardust.
Jessica Zoob
It’s impossible not to feel something in front of renowned British artist Zoob’s epic works. Our love affair with her poetic landscapes dates back to 2013 and her landmark solo exhibition, Dancing With Colour. After training at the Central School of Art and Nottingham University and working as a set designer, Zoob began translating the surroundings of her Lewes Sussex home and her extensive travels in Asia and study of Chinese art into contemporary impressionism, and we’ve been hooked ever since.
Maddie Rose Hills
In an impressive case of women inspiring women, London-based contemporary painter Maddie Rose Hills gets her flair for the arts from her mother. Just as she’s in love with the natural world, we’re in love with her vast landscapes and visceral large-scale canvases that are driven by her interest in play and experimentation. It’s hard not to find her lava-like surfaces and swirling masses of texture and colour irresistible. We certainly do.
Yayoi Kusama
No list of inspiring women would be complete without Japan’s most prominent contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama. In her nine decades, she has continuously innovated and re-invented her style, triumphing when she was often the ‘outsider’ – as a female artist in a male-dominated society and a Japanese person in the Western art world. And no Instagram feed would be complete without her iconic installations that have millions flocking to them and queues that are often into the hours. It’s no surprise that Tate Modern is marking its 20th anniversary with a year-long exhibition of her immersive Mirrored Rooms from May. Get your tickets now.
