KIMBERLEY GUNDLE
My Head is a Fairground
Private View
Wednesday 15th April 6 - 8 pm
Exhibition dates
16th April - 15th May 2026
Kimberley Gundle is a ceramicist, sculptor, and painterwhose forthcoming exhibition, My Head is a Fairground, will be held at Long and Ryle gallery from 16th April to 15th May 2026.
Since arriving in Britain from South Africa in 1988, Gundle has always carried a sketchbook, documenting her daily journeys on the London Underground. Informed by nearly forty years of fleeting encounters with strangers, My Head is a Fairground invites viewers into a playful and vibrant inner world through a combination of artwork and text.
The show features a series of ceramic portraits based on Gundle’s rapid sketches of commuters, and allows the viewer to share her journey of contemplation.
Kimberley Gundle, Does your head sometimes feel like a Fairground? (2025)
Each sculpture is inscribed with Gundle’s thoughts, taking inspiration from the legacy of female artists who integrate words and art, private thought and public expression (Nikki de Saint Phalle, Barbara Kruger, Tracey Emin).
Among the characters depicted is a woman wearing headphones; her expression is pursed, with red lips, and her inscription reads: Minds are complex and ever-changing (Illustrated below). Another sculpture is of a young man with his eyes closed. The glasses on his head are delicately gold-rimmed. His clay caption reads: Thinking about what makes us feel grounded.
At the centre of the exhibition is Seated Self Portrait In Conversation with My Many Selves (illustrated above). Executed in fibreglass cobalt blue, the sculpture is inscribed on the reverse with spirals of thoughts articulating our swirling inner voices. “The work reflects my deep exploration of identity through sculpture”, says Gundle. “I use a three-headed seated self-portrait as a metaphor for introspection and dialogue with different facets of my identity. By choosing a seated position, I create an invitation for engagement, both with my inner self and with viewers, encouraging them to consider their own complexities.”
Thoughts inscribed on the chair are: Overthinking is something I DO!; Stretching my neck to keep my head above Water; Today I feel like a Spinning Top; and Life is unpredictable.
Gundle’s Self Portrait In Conversation with My Many Selves has been compared with the work of Niki de Saint Phalle – exuberant and thoughtful.
Accompanying Gundle’s sculptures are a selection of her distinctively flamboyant collages and ceramic plates. “I enjoy mixing colours and patterns, and I love how colour and patterns interact with each other, and how colour talks to colour. It’s a reflection of who I am,” says Gundle.
My Head is a Fairground is an immersive installation bursting with colourful life: ceramic portraits sit on handmade plinths; wallpaper of Gundle’s design on the walls; and floor art underfoot. For the private view, Gundle will wear an outfit of her own design. - Sophie Money
Please contact Sarah Long or Kitty Atherton for further information.
LONG & RYLE, 4 JOHN ISLIP STREET LONDON, SW1P 4PX
Tel 020 7834 1434 / www.longandryle.com / gallery@long-and-ryle.com
