The Women They Feared brings together a series of screen-printed illustrations by Abbie Lois, inspired by Scottish and Celtic folklore. The works explore stories of women whose power lay in knowledge, beauty, transformation, creation, and their connection to the natural world.
Over time, such women were revered, feared, and condemned. Goddesses became hags, healers became witches, and wisdom became something to distrust. Through image and story, this collection revisits these figures and the changing attitudes towards women's power that shaped their legends.
Accompanying audio recordings share the folklore behind each piece, inviting viewers to listen to these stories and encounter these women anew.
Abbie Lois is a Scottish illustrator, printmaker and storyteller. Her work is deeply rooted in lore; interwoven with the characters, landscapes and creatures which shape these stories. Her work is most often hand-drawn, and then screen printed.
She focuses on the stories of women, whether primordial goddesses, a loving mother protecting her children, or a fierce warrior from long ago.
The environment which hosts the stories she illustrates is often an important inspiration for her work, calling attention to the inherent links between our land and its inhabitants to mythology and folklore, and the lessons that can be learnt from these often ancient stories.
Abbie's work serves as a bridge between the past and present, and through her work she seeks to honour the traditions of storytelling, whilst reimagining them for a modern audience.
Abbie Lois - illustrator, printmaker and storyteller - About