Around the World in 80 Years: Celebrating Andrew Logan at the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery London

By MAGGIE HORNEFF October 14, 2025

In celebration of the influential and fabulously eccentric British artist Andrew Logan’s 80th birthday, the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery in London is hosting a dazzling exhibition titled Around the World in 80 Years, on view until 18 October. 

Andrew Logan. Around the World in 80 Years, Courtesy of the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery, London, 2025.

Viewers are invited into the idiosyncratic, artistic universe of Logan, a world filled with luminous mixed-media sculptures, installations and wearable pieces, infused with a whimsical flair and collated over 50 years of the artist’s career. Through the integration of fashion, sculpture, myth and animals, among other elements, his pieces strike a timeless allegorical flamboyance. 

Scattered across the room, an abundance of opulent artworks creates a path through the space, as viewers steadily weave through a series of elevated installations. Positioned at the beginning of the room, Childhood, composed of fractured glass forming a mirrored topography, traversed by miniature figurines of horses, chariots and pigs. On the back wall sits AMW Peace Throne, flanked by reflective doves on either side of the seat and an effervescent, rainbow-hued peace sign. Nestled at the rear of the space is Homage to Dali, a bridge between Surrealism and Andrew’s own visual language, comprising a suspended mirrored cross adorned with peculiar ornaments, fragments of animal skulls and gold trimmings.

Andrew Logan portrait ©Sylvain-Deleu-17-01-57 (1)

Creator of the remarkable Alternative Miss World pageant, an unconventional performance art event launched in 1972 that honours inclusive expression and extravagance, Andrew Logan has long stood at the heart of British counterculture. Collaborating with icons such as Derek Jarman, Thea Porter, Leigh Bowery, Zandra Rhodes, Grayson Perry and Malcolm McLaren, whose Sex Pistols famously played their first ever-gig in Logan’s studio, he belongs to a distinctive school of British eccentrics. Logan’s trailblazing artistic practice has continued to impact the evolving visual landscape in Britain for over fifty years.

A transformative artist who remains authentically himself, Logan translates iconic figures, from the mythological Gaia to fashion designer and friend Zandra Rhodes, as well as experiences of travel, culture and animals, into his own vivid visual language of mirrors, sparkle and sculpture. Grounded in rich cultural and spiritual narratives, yet enlivened by a contemporary perspective that recontextualises and invigorates his subjects. His work is an exploration of commonplace motifs, fantastically reimagined.

Andrew Logan, Childhood, 2008. Around the World in 80 Years, Courtesy of the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery, London, 2025.

The exhibition, currently staged at the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery in London, the first contemporary art gallery in Europe to exhibit Aboriginal art, has also hosted a variety of events in conjunction with the show, including a tea ceremony and a packed-out talk led by Andrew at the gallery. Describing his work as a physical manifestation of the spiritual, he recounted fond memories of childhood, America during the sixties and the early days at his jigsaw factory studio in Hackney.

Rebecca Hossack, Director of the gallery, who met Andrew in 1988, greatly praised the strong spirit of the artist, comparing it to that of great artists of the past. “It may seem extraordinary to compare Giotto and Andrew, with his mirror and glasswork, but I think, in spirit, in their joy, their connection to the natural world, and their love of people, Andrew and Giotto have a lot in common.” She added: “He represents what artists should be, and what they so seldom are, bringing joy to people through their work.”

Andrew Logan with Zandra Rhodes and friends. Around the World in 80 Years, Courtesy of the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery, London, 2025.

The show emanates the joyful spirit that defines Andrew’s work, whilst maintaining a profound ability to draw on subject matter of meaning. The display feels unmistakably like what it is: a celebration. Both uplifting and poignant, it epitomises the emotional power of eccentricity to create meaning in a visually stimulating way. Luminous colours and refractions of the glittering mixed-media pieces cannot help but bring smiles to the viewers, who admire both the collective impact and intricate detailing of the works. 

‘I see my work very much as magical,’ Logan says. ‘We have been in this world for a very short time, and I wanted to celebrate the fact. So, that’s what my work is about: it’s about bringing joy to the world.’