‘Happy Replay’ – an exhibition by Kat Vandal, at Simar showroom

Kat Vandal’s Happy Replay, a pop-art exhibition reimagining “the playful chaos of childhood”, will be shown at the Simar showroom on Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia, this September.

Inspired by nostalgic reflections of popular culture in her own childhood, Vandal’s work up-cycles children’s old and forgotten toys into mixed-media creations of painting and sculpture. Her work features materials ranging from recycled ball-pit balls and figurines, to teddies and balloons.

Noticing the movement of her son’s toys from filling her home, to filling storage boxes, Vandal sought to preserve the colourful memories of her son’s childhood playthings and ensure they could not be easily forgotten. What began as a project to repurpose her child’s old and favourite toys, evolved into a broader ambition: to explore “cartoonish forms” and “the joyful mess of imagination”, on a much larger scale.

Whilst starting out by creating pieces for family and friends, Vandal moved on to personalised commissions, working with her customer’s own toys to create pieces which she calls, “Childhood Legacy”.

After exhibiting in Berlin, France and London, Vandal appeared on ITV news earlier this year to discuss the inspirations and methods behind her work. Citing pop culture of the 80s and 90s as a strong “influence of her aesthetics”, her work aims to reframe such playfulness through the “urban energy of London’s streets”, where she has lived for most of her life.

Vandal’s work aims to offer “a multi-sensory escape into joy and memory”, transforming “childhood’s colourful fun”, into sophisticated and light work.

Happy Replay by Kat Vandal is at the Simar showroom, 51a-51b Cleveland street, London W1T 4JH. Exhibition is from 10am to 6pm on 16, 17, 19, 22, and 23 September, and 10am to 9pm on 18 and 24 September 2025.

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