When you think of cowboys, the first thing that probably springs to mind are dusty, barren landscapes, where work is back-breaking and it’s impossible to raise a smile. We’re all familiar with the gloomy the world of the spaghetti western, but what might happen if we put the cowgirls in charge?

This is the question contemporary artist, Hannah Shillito is asking in her 2024 Space Cowgirls series – a new collection of colourful artworks in which the artist transports us to an intergalactic world created by women, where anything goes and joy reigns supreme.

We’re delighted to be launching this new series at Enter Gallery. In today’s blog, we’re chatting to Shillito to discover more about her Space Cowgirls, and the empowering message that lies beneath the maximalist aesthetic that defines her oeuvre.

View artworks by Hannah Shillito

 

Yee-Ha

When you look at Hannah Shillito’s artistic career, you can see that one thing she loves is an icon! Whether creating contemporary art of the Queen, depicting luminaries of fashion, or honouring musical legends, Hannah Shillito artworks are guaranteed to celebrate fabulousness in all its forms.

In Shillito’s new series of colourful art prints, we see her worship a different kind of icon – the cowgirl – traditionally revered as a symbol of strength, resilience and independence. A true cowgirl lives life on her own terms and looks amazing while she’s doing it. Shillito explains:

“I’m obsessed with cowgirls, because they’re strong, remarkable women. The world run by cowboys is so masculine and, if you ask me, a little passé. In this series, I imagine what would happen if women took over and created the world of their dreams. It certainly wouldn’t be a desolate existence. It would be feminine and other-worldly.”

 

Given she’s a true queen of maximalism, it’s no surprise that Shillito’s surrealist dreamscapes imagine a spectacular new world. In Choose Everywhere, Shillito’s vista is home to rainbow waves and jewel-covered cacti, and in Palm Springs, Shillito’s cowgirls are transported to the Californian desert town, to what Shillito describes as, ‘the ultimate gorgeous place’, known as an epicentre of fashion, architecture and beautiful design.

 

 

Brave New World

Beyond the visual delights of the collection, each piece is also deliberately designed to provide a welcome sense of escapism. It’s not just the fictional cowboy/cowgirl realm that Hannah Shillito's art helps us to escape, her works also provide a welcome salve to the reality of being a woman, and the stories that dominate our news headlines. Shillito explains:  

 

“I think a lot of women imagine a different world to ours. A world where we can be who we want, where everything is possible, and we’re allowed to feel joy. If women ruled the world, I think there would be a lot more joy. These artworks imagine what that world might look like, and just how fabulous it could be.”

 

Choose Nowhere embodies the thinking behind the Space Cowgirls collection. The artwork depicts a cowgirl in a traditional desert setting. As she looks to the distance dreaming of another world, a flying saucer and a team of unicorns show up to transport her somewhere shiny and new.

 

More is More

Each of Shillito’s intergalactic wonderlands is a veritable feast of fun and joyful elements, whether that’s a vibrant palette or the mirror ball motif that we’ve come to associate with her work. She tells us:

“If you ask me, more is more and less is a bore. I’d hate to be beige. Life is too short and there are so many fabulous things out there, so why not bring them into my art.

Our world isn’t set up to focus on joy, particularly at the moment, perhaps that’s why I feel this need to focus on it more than ever. Art doesn’t have to be sad to have meaning. There can be a lot of depth in joy too.”  

 

Let it Rock

2024 has been a busy and expansive year for Shillito. Back in August, she was over in Ibiza presenting her 2024 show, Mick Rock x Hannah Shillito. The exhibition was produced in collaboration with the estate of the late Mick Rock - David Bowie’s official photographer, and the man behind some of the most iconic music photography of all time.

The show saw Shillito create a series of characteristically colourful artworks using Rock’s photography of such icons as Lou Reed, Tina Turner, Lady Gaga and Kate Moss.

What emerged from this summer show for Shillito was a desire to expand her artistic repertoire via developing her practice as one of the UKs most exciting contemporary collage artists.

We’re thrilled to bring you Shillito’s Space Cowgirls, and can’t wait to see what magical world she transports us to next.

 

Hannah Shillito’s Space Cowgirls series is available at Enter Gallery now.

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