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until 07.11. | #5130ARTatBerlin | neugerriemschneider (Linienstrasse) shows from Friday 11. September 2026 (Opening: 10.09.) the exhibition “billy childish and the children of the sect” by the artists Billy Childish, Huddie Hamper und Scout Hamper.
In *Billy Childish and the Children of the Sect* at Neugerriemschneider, Billy Childish deepens his ongoing exploration of family and art history and, for the first time, exhibits alongside his children, Huddie and Scout Hamper, who are also active as painters and musicians. The works in this cabinet-style presentation, including mutual portraits and motifs reflecting shared interests, were largely created in their shared studio and transcend traditional notions of generation, influence and creative freedom—notions shaped by historical examples of artistic dynasties, mentorship and rivalry. This sense of connection thus becomes a source of unexpected discoveries, both on a compositional and a personal level, which come together in the exhibition as a painted entry in a shared chronicle.
The three artists share an intuitive practice that expresses subjective feelings through the visual interpretation of everyday appearances and phenomena. They view painting as a process of discovery into which they bring spontaneity and continuity, whilst their works emerge organically and do not impose their meaning. Despite, or perhaps precisely because of, this independence and openness of the work, it becomes a means of exchange – of self-reflective engagement, of communication with the viewer and, in this exhibition, of dialogue amongst the artists themselves. Stylistically, this approach results in an expressive interplay of contour and colour, which utilises classical perspectival techniques solely to emphasise the two-dimensional nature of the medium by incorporating the untreated canvas into the composition.
Billy Childish, walking in gods butie version, 2013, oil and charcoal on linen, 274.5 x 183 cm © Billy Childish / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. Courtesy the artist and neugerriemschneider, Berlin. Photo: Rikard Osterlund
The portrait plays a central role in this context: in their self-portraits and mutual depictions, the artists bring to life not only their subjects, but also the different perspectives from which they view themselves and one another, thereby highlighting familial dynamics as well as the processes of appropriation, development and differentiation through which artistic positions take shape across generations. By extending beyond the personal and evoking associations that seemed the preserve of abstraction, these figurative images transform the familiar into the universal, thereby directing the viewer’s gaze towards their own history.
Works by Billy Childish (b. 1959) have been exhibited in solo exhibitions at international museums and institutions, including Yi Space, Hangzhou (2025); He Art Museum, Foshan (2024); Villa Schöningen, Potsdam (2017); The Goss-Michael Foundation, Dallas (2017); the Opelvillen Rüsselsheim Art and Culture Foundation, Rüsselsheim (2016); the Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Aachen (2014); No. 1 Smithery, The Historic Dockyard, Chatham (2012); the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (2010); and White Columns, New York (2010). Huddie Hamper (b. 1999) completed a Foundation Degree at UCA Rochester (2018) and studied painting at the Slade School of Fine Art in London (2018–2021) and at the Düsseldorf Art Academy (since 2026). Scout Hamper (b. 2009) is making the public debut of his own work with this exhibition. The artists live and work in Kent.
Opening: Thursday, 10. September 2026, 6 – 10 pm.
Exhibition dates: Friday, 11. September until Saturday, 7. November 2026
To the gallery
Title image caption: Billy Childish, self with thunderbird, 2026, oil and charcoal on linen, 91.5 x 76 cm © Billy Childish / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. Courtesy the artist and neugerriemschneider, Berlin
Exhibition billy childish, huddie hamper & scout hamper – Galerie neugerriemschneider | Zeitgenössische Kunst in Berlin | Contemporary Art | Ausstellungen Berlin Galerien | ART at Berlin
