In Company of The Unexpected
12.09.25 – 18.10.25
Preview: Thursday, September 11, 2025, 6 - 9 PM
Ruup & Form Gallery, 7 Tilney Court, London, EC1V 9BQ
A chair that favours imbalance. A vessel that carries the memory of a ritual across oceans. A map drawn in salt and silk thread. In the exhibition, In Company of The Unexpected, sixteen artists step into the liminal space between order and mischief, crafting works that treat disruption not as an interruption but as a beginning. Ruup & Form’s latest exhibition unfolds like a visit from an uninvited guest - unexpected, a little unruly, and impossible to forget.
Its spirit takes its cue from Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea, a story in which an uninvited guest empties the cupboards yet leaves behind a lingering sense of possibility. Here, the “tiger” is not a literal creature but a state of mind, a playful yet potent force that rearranges what we think we know. The works gathered here are where materials collide with ideas, rules give way, and something entirely new slips quietly into the room. Christopher Kelly and Daniel Hayden’s overGrown chairs unbalance our expectations of furniture, while Jihyun Kim’s threshold rituals reimagined as sculpture invite us to reconsider the spaces between one moment and the next. Poppy Lennox maps unseen energies with silk thread, and Studio EAST x EAST’s adaptable, reclaimed forms suggest other ways of living.
From here, we move into quieter, more intimate encounters. Gwyneth Melling, a recent graduate from the Royal School of Needlework, opens this journey with Welcome to the Valley of the Tallest Waterfall, an embroidered sculpture populated by characters whose curiosity recalibrates our sense of scale. Her work invites us to lean closer, as if to hear a whispered story caught in the fabric.
From these intricate threads, the path leads to the grounded presence of Katie Smith’s vessels—Moirai, Tabula Rasa, Vessels of Motion, and Solstice which trace the arc of fate and transformation in clay. Their surfaces and forms move between the ceremonial and the everyday, reminding us that change is as much a part of daily ritual as it is of myth. Ambre Cardinal’s precociously positioned kinetic sculptures that hang in a delicate choreography of balance and suspension, where the subtlest movement reshapes the narrative.
Other voices extend and deepen the theme. Carla Wright’s ceramic drawings honour the architecture of care, while Julia Clarke’s organic forms hold space for resilience. Juli Bolaños Durman gives found glass a dramatic and playful second life, and Henrietta MacPhee’s ceramic paintings bring the “tiger” into the room. Marlou Breuls merges fashion and sculpture into playful vessels, and Woo Jin Joo’s embroidered sculptures map the journey between myth and enchantment. Ana Bridgewater’s porcelain speaks of touch and ecology, while Katie Boccaccini Meadows’ vessels treat utility as a form of intimacy.
In an age where unpredictability often feels exhausting, In Company of The Unexpected insists on wonder as a necessity rather than a luxury. It is a reminder that the unfamiliar need not be managed or minimised—sometimes, it is the very thing that remakes us.
Participating Artists
Ambre Cardinal, Ana Bridgewater, Carla Wright, Christopher Kelly and Daniel Hayden, Gwyneth Melling, Henrietta MacPhee, Jihyun Kim, Juli Bolaños Durman, Julia Clarke, Katie Boccaccini Meadows, Katie Smith, Marlou Breuls, Poppy Lennox, Studio EAST x EAST, Woo Jin Joo
Events
Private View: 11 September – 6 - 9 pm
Talk: -Thread Counts: The Power of The Textiles in Contemporary Art, With Isabella Smith, Woo Jin Joo and Christopher Kelly for London Textile Month
19 September – 6:30- 8:30 pm, Tickets Via Selvedge Website - Click Here to Buy
Curators’ Talk: – 10 Oct, 6 -7 pm, Free to visit, RSVP essential – hello@ruupandform.com
We have more events on the horizon. Follow @ruup.and.form on Instagram to stay connected and updated.
About Ruup & Form
Ruup & Form is an ever-evolving, dynamic platform dedicated to the advancement of artistic expression. A contemporary gallery based in London, we blend art, craft, and design, embracing fresh voices, styles, and ideas to enrich the cultural landscape. Our collection is a vibrant fusion of creativity, where the latest trends, emerging talents, and established masters exist in harmonious coexistence. We curate museum-quality artwork that enhances both living and working spaces, while supporting talented artists from around the world.
Founded by Varuna Kollanethu in 2019, the gallery's mission is to blur the boundaries between art and craft, foster communities by bringing works to a broader audience, and promote our artists through exhibitions, events, fairs, and educational workshops.
With Collect. Commission. Collaborate. at its core, the gallery partners with artists, educates new collectors, and helps passionate collectors discover exciting new talent.
For press inquiries, images, or interview requests, please contact:
Email: Skylar Whittle - assistant@ruupandform.com
Phone: +44 7724 880218
