International Women’s Day: Spotlight On Our Favourite Female Artists!
International Women’s Day is a global holiday celebrated on 8th March. It has existed in various forms since the early 20th century. In 1917 it was made an official holiday in Soviet Russia, and since then it has been adopted by the global feminist movement and become an international celebration.
In honour of International Women’s Day, we want to put a spotlight on some of our favourite female artists from around the world who don’t always get the attention they deserve!
Maria Prymachenko
Maria Prymachenko was a Ukrainian folk art painter. She was a self-taught artist who worked across a range of art forms: painting, embroidery and ceramics. Her bold and colourful works were inspired by Ukrainian folk traditions and are full of references to the natural world and to fairy tales. She worked mainly in gouache, a type of paint similar to watercolour as it is usually mixed with water when used. She has a street named after her in Kyiv.
You can explore more of her art here.
Yayoi Kusama
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist who works in across various art forms but is best known for sculptures and installations. Although her family were not completely supportive of her artistic ambitions, she started creating art at an early age and put on exhibitions as a teengar. She is famous for her ‘Infinity Rooms’. These are rooms with mirrors on the walls and neon coloured balls hanging from the ceiling. The reflection of the balls in the mirrors makes it look like they go on forever.
You can explore more of her art here.
Beatriz Milhazes
Known for her vibrant and colourful collages, Beatriz Milhazes was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1960. Brazil is a very multicultural country, and this is a source of inspiration for Milhazes, whose work draws from Latin American and European traditions. Her work contains many Brazilian folk references, such as vibrant colours and shapes influenced by ‘carnaval’. She is also influenced by Optical Art (a style of visual art that uses optical illusions) such as the work of Bridget Riley. We love the use of bright, vibrant colours!
You can explore her work here.
International Women’s Day challenge!
Who are your favourite female artists? We challenge you to find a female artist you’ve never heard of before and make your own artwork inspired by her work. Share your masterpiece with us on social media!
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