ISSY WILSON

b. 1997

Royal College of Art—MA Painting 2024

University of Michigan—BFA 2020

Issy Wilson is a London and US based artist originally from Chicago. Her practice is deeply rooted in the natural world, with a focus on drawing, painting, textiles, and research. She gathers inspiration by observing her environment and applying the processes of our ecosystems to that of a studio practice.

Issy embarked on a transformative journey along the Appalachian Trail and completed this 2,200-mile hike in 2022. This six-month-long adventure profoundly influences her art practice. Her work explores the connective tissues of the forest by studying roots, trees, mycelium, lichen, and mosses. These dendritic structures mirror blood vessels, neurons, rivers, and mountains in their search to form strong organic connections. Her art studio has become an environment of its own, with pieces evolving symbiotically.

Currently, her focus is on creating a more sustainable art practice: using inks, natural pigments, cotton fibers, and handmade paper. These paintings, drawings, and textiles have created a new anthology of works that have been exhibited internationally.

EXHIBITIONS

  • Vicinity Biennial, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL 2025

  • What the River Brought Me, Mayfair, London, 2025

  • Reverberant Ecologies: Three-Women Exhibition, Wandsworth, London, 2025

  • Rhizomes: Solo Exhibition, Patrician Gallery, Wilmette, IL 2025

  • Morrison Foerster (MoFo) Art Prize Exhibition, London, 2025

  • One Inspired Evening 2025, Chicago, IL 2025

  • Masters of Painting Exhibition, Royal College of Art, London 2024

  • Echoes of Entanglement, South Kensington, London 2024

  • Can You Afford to “Pay” Attention, Greatorex Street, London 2024

  • Co-Creating with Nature, Royal College of Art, London 2024

  • Transitional Traces, M.P. Birla Gallery, London 2024

  • If You’re Lost This is Where You Can be Found, Safehouse, London 2023

  • Monochrome, Fulton Street Collective, Chicago 2023

  • Four Walls: Four Artists, Fulton Street Collective, Chicago 2023

  • Faces of Fulton, Fulton Street Collective, Chicago 2023

  • Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Wilmette, IL 2022

  • Muros Company Exhibition, Chicago 2022

  • Senior Thesis Exhibition, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 2020

  • Artist Immersion: Landscape Painting Exhibition, Carmona, Spain 2019

  • Artist Quilt Installation

    • Merchandize Mart, Chicago 2023; Fulton Street Collective, Chicago 2023; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 2022; Ann Brierly Gallery, Winnetka, IL 2022; 2510 Green Bay Rd Lobby, Evanston, IL 2022

ARTICLES