Looking back to the Future
Solo exhibitions by Hanna ten Doornkaat & Buffy Kimm
21 October – 16 November 2025
Looking back to the Future 1
Hanna ten Doornkaat
21 October – 2 November 2025
Private View: 23 October, 6 – 8.30pm. RSVP.
Artist’s Talk: Saturday 1 November, 2.30pm. All welcome.
A solo exhibition that bridges past and present through a reflective dialogue between early and recent works. This compelling showcase marks the first time that several formative pieces—many previously unseen—will be exhibited alongside current works.
Rooted in a journey of material evolution and conceptual continuity, “Looking Back to the Future” juxtaposes minimalist line drawings from the artist’s earlier practice with new textile-based works that explore the same gestural language in a transformed medium. Delicate, often stark lines rendered on paper and board in earlier years now re-emerge as tactile, stitched gestures on raw jute and canvas—suggesting both a return and a departure.
By placing these bodies of work in conversation, the exhibition explores questions of process, memory, and artistic growth. It invites viewers to consider how an artist revisits old visual languages while forging new ground—how the past isn’t something left behind, but something continuously rewoven into the present.
This exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the evolution of ten Doornkaat’s practice, tracing threads of continuity through shifting material and emotional landscapes.
Looking back to the Future 2
Buffy Kimm
4 – 16 November 2025
Private View: Tues 4 November 6 – 8.30 pm
Q& A with the artist. Drop in for a chat: Sat 15 Nov from 2.30pm
In Looking Back to the Future 2, Buffy Kimm reflects on a decade of creative exploration while imagining the possibilities ahead. This exhibition traces the evolution of her practice, revealing an enduring fascination with paper, found materials and the unexpected beauty hidden in everyday forms.
Kimm draws inspiration from photography, especially the abstract details of architecture, natural textures and fleeting patterns of light and shadow. These images become a springboard for transformation: shapes are enlarged, fragmented and reassembled, inviting viewers to see the overlooked and the ephemeral anew. Her work, ranging from delicate paper constructions to sculptural pieces and etchings, is both experimental and playful, seeking innovative ways to translate the quiet magic of the unnoticed into tangible form.
About the artists
Hanna ten Doornkaat
Artist Statement
Ten Doornkaat’s work is an ongoing exploration of drawing’s evolving meaning and concept, particularly in the context of new technologies and the fluidity of symbolism. The practice is characterised by a detailed process of repetitive mark-making, utilising graphite, mixed media, recycled materials, and craft-oriented techniques such as textiles and fibres, all of which reflect the passage of time and the evolving nature of human expression.
Drawing inspiration from the idea of the palimpsest, ten Doornkaat embraces a perfect imperfection in whatever medium she uses, inviting the viewer to consider how layers of meaning, history, and personal experience are written and erased over time. In this context, the work reflects how symbols evolve, just as language and technology continuously reshape how we communicate.
The artist’s most recent work is frequently informed by her interest in the geometric motifs found in ancient South American art, which she deconstructs or recontextualises by translating them into diverse media and alternative colour palettes.
By engaging with new tools and mediums, ten Doornkaat examines the dynamic relationship between tradition and innovation, where every stroke, stitch and symbol not only draws from past influences but also contributes to a redefined future.
Biography
Hanna ten Doornkaat studied BA (sculpture) at Kingston University and MA (sculpture) at Wimbledon School of Art (UAL). In 2015 her work was shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize, London, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and Derwent Art Prize. In 2017 she was shortlisted again for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and the ING Discerning Eye. She has since had several solo exhibitions at One Paved Court Gallery, Richmond, Essentially Grey at The Muse Gallery, London and &Gallery, Edinburgh. In 2020 she was shortlisted for FairArtFair Curated I, 50/50, 100/50 in 2024 and 2025 at Unit1Gallery workshop, London. A highlight for the artist was her solo exhibition ‘Ezra Maas Nothing is More Real than Nothing’ in 2022 at Gallery46, Whitechapel which was a collaboration with author Daniel James’ launch of his crime fiction novel ‘The unauthorised biography of Ezra Maas. More solo and group exhibitions exhibitions followed both in the UK and abroad.
The artist has also curated major exhibitions as founder of WhiteNoise_Projects.
More detailed info available on her cv.
Buffy Kimm
Buffy Kimm holds a BA (Hons) in Three Dimensional Design from Kingston Polytechnic. Her career as a prop maker and set designer for theatre and Production designer for television has sharpened her skills in model making, sketching and three dimensional design, foundations that continue to inform her art.
Her commitment to creativity extends beyond her own studio. As a lecturer in MA Production Design for Film and Television at Kingston University from 2000 until 2014, Kimm has guided emerging designers at the beginning of their journeys. The energy and fresh perspectives of her students have in turn reinvigorated her own practice, encouraging her to keep questioning, experimenting and embracing new directions.
Kimm has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad, including shows at One Paved Court (duo, 2024; group, 2019), The Crypt Gallery, London (2025, 2019 & 2017), Watts Gallery, Compton, 2025, Fitzrovia Gallery, London 2024, the Oxmarket Gallery, Chichester 2023, the Oxo Gallery, London 2022, Collect, London 2022, the BBK Gallery, Oldenburg 2019, the National Open Exhibition, Harrogate 2015, and Art in Transit, Oldenburg 2014. She is a member of Southbank Printmakers, Richmond Printmakers, the Printmakers Council and Kew Studios
