KAT VANDAL
Mixed-media Neo Pop Artist
I am a French mixed-media artist based in London, known for transforming preloved toys and childhood nostalgia into Happy Fine Art for grown-ups.
Using recycled ball-pit balls, figurines, teddies and balloons, I combine the art of up-cycling with playfulness and emotional resonance, layered both figuratively and literally, bridging the worlds of sculpting and painting, with Street Art and Pop Art influences.
I am convinced that a joyful moment can live with us forever and lift our mood on demand and that small toys are the physical symbols of childhoods little moments of joy. Creating art from these playful items helped me reconnect with simple happy childhood memories I had forgotten about and my mission is to bring that same dopamine boost to people's homes
My work takes the playful chaos of childhood and reimagines it through an adult lens. What once was spontaneous and unstructured becomes patterned, ordered, and sharpened with a hint of 90's edge. By layering nostalgia with design and discipline, I create compositions that are both fun and sophisticated. More than décor, my art offers a multisensory escape into joy and memory.
I exhibit and ship worldwide. Currently represented by The Gallery of Things in Berlin and Chrom'Art Management in Menton (France), I am always looking for opportunities to exhibit my art in London and the rest of the world.
My inspiration
The idea of upcycling childhood favourites started when I found myself struggling to part with my son’s outgrown clothes, toys and drawings. So instead, I found joy in repurposing them into colourful works of art, celebrating precious memories of his childhood while revisiting mine. Therefore, my work combines my passion for upcycling with the idea of holding on to precious memories, preserving them in a way that sparks joy.
As for my aesthetics, my creations are a blend of Pop Art inspired by the 80’s and 90’s (a period I grew up in) and Street Art, inspired by London (where I have lived most of my adult life).
I’ve always been drawn to colours and geometrical shapes, as well as the contradictions between vibrant colours and black (in art and fashion), sequences and organic explosions.
It’s always been a good reflection of who I am, always playing ping pong between my left and right brain.
Artists like Vasarely, Kandinsky, Delaunay, Picasso, and Keith Haring inspire me — art that feels playful, bright, and driven by creativity rather than just technical mastery.
But a lot of my inspiration also comes from urban scenes: architecture, street art, and watching people moving through urban spaces.
In their words...
"Kat Vandal wants to "transfer positivity" with her Happy Art which is all about upcycling nostalgia and uplifting others. She's realised that the toys of her childhood and those from her son's early years inspire smiles and optimism by bringing back good memories. Kat believes that for most of us there was joyful escape through imaginative playing with toys."
DANIEL SITWELL, journalist
"Kat Vandal blends joyful rebellion with coded nostalgia, turning lived experience into a high-impact visual language. Her work moves with rhythm, attitude, and depth — a convergence of street sensibility and gallery power. She codes culture, not just comments on it.
Her fluency in pop iconography transforms familiar visuals into new symbols of identity and play. Her palette carries instant emotional weight. She's anti-hype but hyper-strategic, aligned with communities and collectors who value intention over trends. Her style is unique, defensible, and deeply resonant."
SIMON WILLIAMS, collector
"Kat vandal's artworks not only rekindle the warmth of childhood but also emphasise the beauty of sustainability, finding creative purpose in what might otherwise have been discarded. Her process brings fresh life into childhood memories, preserving them vividly bold and in an exciting different way"
ALEXANDRA MANN, owner of The Gallery of Things, Berlin