Ostrich Magazine

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Molly Hankinson

Molly Hankinson is a visual artist and illustrator from South East London, now living and working in Glasgow. She graduated in Fine Art: Painting and Printmaking from The Glasgow School of Art in 2018, and was then awarded the graduate studio residency at SWG3 Studio Warehouse, where she now has her permanent studio. Her work focuses on the honest and unapologetic representation of people who experience misogyny through painting, printmaking and hand-drawn and digital illustration. Instagram: @mollyhankinson.studio

These people are characterised in a powerful way and she enjoys celebrating them through the highlighting of shared experiences, achievements and struggles which fall under the intersectional umbrella of womxnhood. There is an undeniable ownership of space apparent in Molly's work, where the subjects sit unashamedly in their surroundings. She particularly enjoys working within the parameters of interior spaces, as she finds subverting the idea of 'women and domesticity' (which historically have negative and restrictive connotations) a powerful and constructive tool for reclaiming these spaces as places of safety, ease and power.’

Where would you like your work to take you?

I think larger scale public art would be amazing, just getting messages out there only bigger! I only really recently got the opportunity to see my work scaled up and I’d love to develop that side of my practice.

What would you like people to take away from your work?

Mainly I hope people take confidence from it, hopefully it makes people feel good, and that they can own their space!

Where do you draw inspiration from?

My own home, my friends, the large community of talented artists on social media, as well as figurative artists like Alice Neel and Matisse, and Manet. I love Sarah Lucas too (who doesn’t?)

What piece of music would you say compliments your work the most?

‘Mind Your Own Business’ by Delta 5

Can you list a couple other creatives/friends/people you look to for inspiration?

There are so many creatives in their field who you can tell are just love what they do and are fully fucking dedicated to their craft, whatever the art form, and I take big inspiration from that. @leylajosephine, @boldiemakesart, @darkroom.memoir, @cathytabbakh, @yexleyyeah, @rachelemillar, to name just a few.