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Kat Vandal - Art - Dopamine - Nostalgia

@kat.vandal

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Joy collector
I turn preloved toys & childhood memories into Happy Art as a rebellion against growing up
Follow for a dose of dopamine and nostalgia

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SOS Member Spotlight 🌟

Yesterday I joined another Queenagers gathering, this time with two SOS members at the heart of it 🤍

Manjari, founder of Queenagers Collective , brought us together for a creative afternoon with pop artist and fellow SOS member Kat Vandal ✨
Kat introduced us to her playful world of art, doodling and colour, then helped us turn our own denim jackets, bags and pieces into something completely personal.

What I love about Queenagers is that every event feels different, but the idea behind it stays the same: women coming together to try something new, connect and promote them and most importantly, enjoy this stage of life a little more.

And seeing two women from our own SOS community creating something together made this one extra special.

Follow @queenagerscollective for their upcoming gatherings and @kat.vandal for a serious dose of colour, creativity and joy ✨

SOS Member Spotlight · Queenagers Collective · Kat Vandal · women’s community London · women in midlife · creative workshops London · women supporting women · London events for women · female founders London · SOS Social Media Club

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Since 2012, ArtGeminiPrize has welcomed 8,000+ entries from 44 countries, awarding over £75,000 to artists worldwide.

Now in its 13th edition, we’re back with £4,000 in winner awards and a shortlisted exhibition at Fresh Art Fair London.

📅 Final deadline: 19 October 2026
🌍 Open worldwide • No age limit

Enter via the link in our bio, and tag an artist who shouldn’t miss this opportunity.

Featuring #ArtGeminiPrize2026
entry by Kat Vandal,'Happy Dais-Sugar Rush
#ArtGeminiPrize2026 #ArtGeminiPrize #CallForEntries

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Delighted to feature #ArtGeminiPrize2026 entry by Kat Vandal,'Happy Dais-Sugar Rush'
Your opportunity starts here, enter now via link in our bio @artgeminiprize
Deadline 19 October

#CallForEntries
#contemporaryart
#artgeminiprize

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🌈 “You can be cheerful and joyful and still have depth and emotion."

💫 One of my favourite moments from my conversation with London-based artist Kat Vandal (@kat.vandal), who reflects on why joy is a powerful artistic language and challenges the idea that contemporary art must be dark or serious to carry emotional depth ⚡️

🎥 Watch the full interview on YouTube

🎧 Listen now on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

(All links 🔗 in bio)

🎤 Hosted by @byzoesera

🎬 Rachel Anderson (@rachel_artandjoy)

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🩵 What challenges do women still face in the art market? 📈🖼️

💫 In this clip from the Art World Women podcast, Kat Vandal (@kat.vandal) reflects on being labelled a “woman artist,” representation in the contemporary art world, and why conversations celebrating women artists continue to matter.

‼️ According to the 2026 AWITA (@awitalondon) × Artnet (@artnet) “Hardwiring Change” report, “Nearly half of women aged 25–44 surveyed are considering leaving the arts within the next five years, with the highest rate (50.6 percent) among women aged 35–44—precisely the cohort expected to move into leadership roles,” highlighting the importance of continuing conversations around equity, visibility and long-term career progression.

🎥 Watch the full interview on YouTube

🎧 Listen now on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

🎤 Hosted by @byzoesera

🎬 Rachel Anderson (@rachel_artandjoy)

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🧸 Finding inspiration in preloved toys (EP. 7)

💭 In this clip from the Art World Women podcast, self-taught artist Kat Vandal (@kat.vandal) shares how preloved toys became an unexpected source of inspiration, transforming everyday objects into joyful contemporary artworks rooted in childhood nostalgia.

🎥 Watch the full interview on YouTube.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

🎤 Hosted by @byzoesera

🎬 Rachel Anderson (@rachel_artandjoy)

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🎨 What would you change about the art world? 🌎💭

💫 In this clip from the Art World Women podcast, self-taught artist Kat Vandal (@kat.vandal) reflects on why joy deserves a place in contemporary art, and how optimism, colour and play have become central to her artistic practice 🌈.

🎥 Watch the full interview on YouTube

🎧 Listen now on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

🎤 Hosted by @byzoesera

🎬 Rachel Anderson (@rachel_artandjoy)

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🍬 Episode 07 | Finding Joy in Art with Kat Vandal 🎨

💫 This week on the Art World Women podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with London-based, self-taught artist Kat Vandal (@kat.vandal).

💬 Inspired by childhood nostalgia, colour and play, Kat transforms preloved toys and found objects into joyful mixed-media artworks that encourage us to reconnect with our inner child. During our conversation, we discuss her creative journey as a self-taught artist, how motherhood has shaped her perspective and artistic practice, navigating social media (+ viral attention 🌀), creative entrepreneurship, and why finding joy remains central to her work.

🩵 I particularly loved this episode because we explore how artists can remain authentic 💡 while building an audience online, balancing creativity with business, embracing optimism in a rapidly changing art world, and how motherhood can reshape an artist's relationship with creativity and joy.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

🎬 Also head to YouTube to watch the full video version
Make sure to follow Kat Vandal

Instagram: @kat.vandal
Website: katvandalart.com

🎙 Hosted by Zoë Goetzmann (@byzoesera)

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Kat Vandal is a self-described “joy collector”, transforming childhood toys, favourites and memories into mixed-media works that push back against the seriousness and gloom of growing up.

Alongside making the work, Kat thinks carefully about how and where she shows it. Rather than entering every opportunity, she looks at previous selections, the range of work represented and whether an open call feels like the right fit for her practice.

Having been selected for the Art Gemini Prize previously, Kat is considering entering again this year. This year’s finalists will have the opportunity to exhibit at Fresh Art Fair through Art Gemini, combining the reach of an art fair with the support of a wider prize platform.

For Kat, these opportunities are also about what happens around and after the exhibition itself: meeting other artists, becoming visible to curators and creating connections that can lead somewhere unexpected. She describes it as a “snowball effect”, and one of those threads is already taking shape through a new international artist collaboration she’s keeping under wraps for now.
@artvoxldn

Art Gemini Prize 2026
entries close 19 October 👀
Link in bio 🔗

→ Follow @kat.vandal to discover more of her work.

@kat.vandal
@artgeminiprize
@freshartfair

🎥 @artvoxldn

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What an incredible evening celebrating the Women in Art Awards. 🧡

From actresses and leading figures in the art world to Frieze curators, collectors, creatives and, most importantly, incredible women artists — nearly 300 guests gathered under one roof to celebrate the Women in Art Prize.

A huge thank you to our wonderful judges, sponsors and everyone who has supported us, and to every woman artist who continues to inspire us with her work, courage and creativity.

Last night was about celebrating you.

What an unforgettable evening for women in art. 🧡

#WomenInArt #WomenInArtPrize #WomenArtists #WomenInArtAwards #FemaleArtists

📷 @thepinkrosephoto

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Unsere Kunst wartet nicht mehr.

_Ab jetzt ist unsere Online-Galerie live – die Werke, für die ihr sonst herkommen musstet, könnt ihr nun auch von zuhause aus entdecken und kaufen.

_Gleiche Kuratierung. Gleiche Haltung. Nur ein neuer Weg, uns kennen zu lernen.

_Schaut vorbei – shop.thegalleryofthings.com

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// INTERVIEW

Kat Vandal

What happens when childhood toys become art?

London-based mixed media artist Kat Vandal turns preloved toys, figurines, and forgotten childhood objects into colourful 3D artworks. Her work is playful, bright, and deeply connected to memory, joy, and the simple act of playing.For Kat, these toys are more than materials. They can bring back a feeling, a memory, or a moment from childhood. Her work is also a way of keeping those memories alive, especially after watching her son grow out of his toys.

In this interview, Kat talks about her Dopamine Rush series, the role of play in our lives, why memory makes ordinary objects feel valuable, and how her own childhood continues to shape her work.

Q: What fascinates you about transforming familiar toys into art?

A: “Real toys don’t just remind us of a memory, it brings back the feeling, it’s like the body recognises them before the mind does.”

She loves seeing people recognise a toy they once owned, smile, and start sharing their own childhood stories. For her, that shared moment is one of the most meaningful parts of making art.

Read the full interview on Arts to Hearts Project.

Artist Interview: Kat Vandal @kat.vandal

Comment 'FINDMORE' below

#ArtstoHeartsProject #ArtistInterview #KatVandal #ContemporaryArt #MixedMediaArt

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