Carl Freedman Gallery, 28 Union Crescent, Margate (2026)

02/06/2026

Vanessa Raw’s work on display at the Arts Council Collection 80th birthday exhibition, which opened tonight in London at Christie’s. This painting is in the permanent collection of the Arts Council and is installed next to David Hockney’s iconic 1960s painting.

29/05/2026

🎨🌞 Now open in Margate: visit us this weekend Friday-Sunday, 12-5pm. Carl Freedman Gallery is proud to present This Is The Universe… Big Isn’t It?, a solo exhibition by British artist Billy Childish.

Billy Childish (b. 1959, Kent, UK) is an extraordinary and prolific artist. His paintings, woodcuts, poetry, writing and music share a common honesty that, rather than being nombrilistic, is deeply compelling and idiosyncratic. Childish’s practice is informed by a tireless curiosity for themes as varied as war, the history and topography of his local and personal environment, social protest, hill walking and religious philosophy. Without the need for validation or approval from the art world, Childish has developed an authentic, independent and defiant position within culture that is admired by many worldwide.

This major new exhibition in Margate includes paintings of California’s Joshua Tree national park, alongside an ongoing series of Childish’s hand-painted wooden storage chests, historically used in shipping. The Californian and Joshua tree paintings were inspired by a family road trip last year, and continue Childish’s longterm investigation into the theme of universal vs local.

Free of irony or superficial novelty, Billy Childish’s paintings espouse values of authenticity, spirituality, and beauty. Present throughout is a quality of quiet melancholy combined with a vibrational, swirling energy. Waterfalls, the sea, trees, nudes, boatmen, swimmers, woods and the artist himself are all recurring motifs.

25/05/2026

🎨🌟 Save the date! Carl Freedman Gallery is proud to present Where You End And I Begin, a solo exhibition by British artist Lindsey Mendick. Preview: Saturday 27 June 2026, 6-8pm

Where You End and I Begin is an immersive exhibition exploring the blurred boundaries of intimacy, dependency, and identity through body horror, mythology, and ceramics.

28 June – 30 August 2026

Lindsey Mendick (b. 1987, UK) works predominantly with clay, a medium that is often associated with decoration and the domestic, subverting these historic connotations to create skilled monuments to ‘low culture’ and the contemporary female experience. Often culminating in elaborate installations, Mendick’s autobiographical work offers a form of catharsis, encouraging the viewer to explore their own personal history through the revisionist lens of the artist. Her work challenges the male gaze, promoting instead an unapologetic, humorous and, at times, grotesque femininity.

Mendick received an MA in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art, London. She was the recipient of the Sky Arts Visual Art Award in 2024, the Henry Moore Foundation Artist Award in 2020, the Alexandra Reinhardt memorial award in 2018 and was also selected for Jerwood Survey 2019 and the Future Generations Art Prize 2020.

Mendick’s work will be included the British Art Show 10, a vital overview of the most exciting art produced in the UK during the past five years. Curated by Ekow Eshun, Mendick’s major installation will tour to Coventry, Swansea, Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle Gateshead from October 2026- June 2028.

24/05/2026

🎨🌞 Now open in Margate: visit us this weekend Sunday, 12-5pm. Carl Freedman Gallery is proud to present This Is The Universe… Big Isn’t It?, a solo exhibition by British artist Billy Childish.

Billy Childish (b. 1959, Kent, UK) is an extraordinary and prolific artist. His paintings, woodcuts, poetry, writing and music share a common honesty that, rather than being nombrilistic, is deeply compelling and idiosyncratic. Childish’s practice is informed by a tireless curiosity for themes as varied as war, the history and topography of his local and personal environment, social protest, hill walking and religious philosophy. Without the need for validation or approval from the art world, Childish has developed an authentic, independent and defiant position within culture that is admired by many worldwide.

This major new exhibition in Margate includes paintings of California’s Joshua Tree national park, alongside an ongoing series of Childish’s hand-painted wooden storage chests, historically used in shipping. The Californian and Joshua tree paintings were inspired by a family road trip last year, and continue Childish’s longterm investigation into the theme of universal vs local.

Free of irony or superficial novelty, Billy Childish’s paintings espouse values of authenticity, spirituality, and beauty. Present throughout is a quality of quiet melancholy combined with a vibrational, swirling energy. Waterfalls, the sea, trees, nudes, boatmen, swimmers, woods and the artist himself are all recurring motifs.

23/05/2026

🎨🌞 Now open in Margate: visit us this weekend Saturday- Sunday, 12-5pm. Carl Freedman Gallery is proud to present This Is The Universe… Big Isn’t It?, a solo exhibition by British artist Billy Childish.

Billy Childish (b. 1959, Kent, UK) is an extraordinary and prolific artist. His paintings, woodcuts, poetry, writing and music share a common honesty that, rather than being nombrilistic, is deeply compelling and idiosyncratic. Childish’s practice is informed by a tireless curiosity for themes as varied as war, the history and topography of his local and personal environment, social protest, hill walking and religious philosophy. Without the need for validation or approval from the art world, Childish has developed an authentic, independent and defiant position within culture that is admired by many worldwide.

This major new exhibition in Margate includes paintings of California’s Joshua Tree national park, alongside an ongoing series of Childish’s hand-painted wooden storage chests, historically used in shipping. The Californian and Joshua tree paintings were inspired by a family road trip last year, and continue Childish’s longterm investigation into the theme of universal vs local.

Free of irony or superficial novelty, Billy Childish’s paintings espouse values of authenticity, spirituality, and beauty. Present throughout is a quality of quiet melancholy combined with a vibrational, swirling energy. Waterfalls, the sea, trees, nudes, boatmen, swimmers, woods and the artist himself are all recurring motifs.

Billy Childish
This Is The Universe... Big Isn’t It?
26 April – 14 June 2026

Billy Childish
the universe - big isnt it, 2023
Oil and charcoal on linen
183 x 305 cm (72 x 120 in)

21/05/2026

🎨🌞 Now open in Margate: visit us all week Wednesday-Saturday, 12-5pm. Carl Freedman Gallery is proud to present This Is The Universe… Big Isn’t It?, a solo exhibition by British artist Billy Childish.

26 April – 14 June 2026

Billy Childish (b. 1959, Kent, UK) is an extraordinary and prolific artist. His paintings, woodcuts, poetry, writing and music share a common honesty that, rather than being nombrilistic, is deeply compelling and idiosyncratic. Childish’s practice is informed by a tireless curiosity for themes as varied as war, the history and topography of his local and personal environment, social protest, hill walking and religious philosophy. Without the need for validation or approval from the art world, Childish has developed an authentic, independent and defiant position within culture that is admired by many worldwide.

This major new exhibition in Margate includes paintings of California’s Joshua Tree national park, alongside an ongoing series of Childish’s hand-painted wooden storage chests, historically used in shipping. The Californian and Joshua tree paintings were inspired by a family road trip last year, and continue Childish’s longterm investigation into the theme of universal vs local.

Free of irony or superficial novelty, Billy Childish’s paintings espouse values of authenticity, spirituality, and beauty. Present throughout is a quality of quiet melancholy combined with a vibrational, swirling energy. Waterfalls, the sea, trees, nudes, boatmen, swimmers, woods and the artist himself are all recurring motifs.

17/05/2026

🌞 A magical sunset dinner by .
Thank you

16/05/2026

🎨🌞 Now open in Margate: visit us today Sunday, 12-5pm. Carl Freedman Gallery is proud to present This Is The Universe… Big Isn’t It?, a solo exhibition by British artist Billy Childish.

26 April – 14 June 2026

Billy Childish (b. 1959, Kent, UK) is an extraordinary and prolific artist. His paintings, woodcuts, poetry, writing and music share a common honesty that, rather than being nombrilistic, is deeply compelling and idiosyncratic. Childish’s practice is informed by a tireless curiosity for themes as varied as war, the history and topography of his local and personal environment, social protest, hill walking and religious philosophy. Without the need for validation or approval from the art world, Childish has developed an authentic, independent and defiant position within culture that is admired by many worldwide.

This major new exhibition in Margate includes paintings of California’s Joshua Tree national park, alongside an ongoing series of Childish’s hand-painted wooden storage chests, historically used in shipping. The Californian and Joshua tree paintings were inspired by a family road trip last year, and continue Childish’s longterm investigation into the theme of universal vs local.

Free of irony or superficial novelty, Billy Childish’s paintings espouse values of authenticity, spirituality, and beauty. Present throughout is a quality of quiet melancholy combined with a vibrational, swirling energy. Waterfalls, the sea, trees, nudes, boatmen, swimmers, woods and the artist himself are all recurring motifs.

Work details:
Billy Childish
Billy Childish
near canyon, 2026
Oil and charcoal on linen
183 x 244 cm (72 x 96 in)

10/05/2026

🎨🌞 Now open in Margate: visit us today Sunday, 12-5pm. Carl Freedman Gallery is proud to present This Is The Universe… Big Isn’t It?, a solo exhibition by British artist Billy Childish.

Billy Childish (b. 1959, Kent, UK) is an extraordinary and prolific artist. His paintings, woodcuts, poetry, writing and music share a common honesty that, rather than being nombrilistic, is deeply compelling and idiosyncratic. Childish’s practice is informed by a tireless curiosity for themes as varied as war, the history and topography of his local and personal environment, social protest, hill walking and religious philosophy. Without the need for validation or approval from the art world, Childish has developed an authentic, independent and defiant position within culture that is admired by many worldwide.

This major new exhibition in Margate includes paintings of California’s Joshua Tree national park, alongside an ongoing series of Childish’s hand-painted wooden storage chests, historically used in shipping. The Californian and Joshua tree paintings were inspired by a family road trip last year, and continue Childish’s longterm investigation into the theme of universal vs local.

Free of irony or superficial novelty, Billy Childish’s paintings espouse values of authenticity, spirituality, and beauty. Present throughout is a quality of quiet melancholy combined with a vibrational, swirling energy. Waterfalls, the sea, trees, nudes, boatmen, swimmers, woods and the artist himself are all recurring motifs.

Billy Childish
This Is The Universe... Big Isn’t It?
26 April – 14 June 2026

Carl Freedman Gallery

02/06/2026

29/05/2026

25/05/2026

24/05/2026

23/05/2026

21/05/2026

17/05/2026

16/05/2026

10/05/2026

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