New exhibition of works by Annabel Merrett

Temporary new exhibition of works by Annabel Merrett on display in the Gordon Museum until Monday 30th September 2025.

Annabel Merrett’s current exhibition at this unique museum contains six sculptures from her Mood States collection. This collection consists of sculpted, life-sized heads, each portraying a certain mood. The titles give clues: Power, Green Envy, Labels We Hold, Joy Above, Rogue Rouge, and Decision. Curator William Edwards has placed her sculptures randomly throughout the specimens. Provoking surprise and thought, at the very least.

Merrett’s work carries messages. Messages to the confused, the young, the mentally ill, and the straightforwardly unhappy. Her mixed media works primarily to reassure that ‘You are not alone with your frightening, and often intolerable, thoughts.’

In her fiercely original voice, she grapples with the tension between the mentally ill and the ‘just’ unhappy. Creating artworks that are moving, handsome (not to say beautiful), thoughtful, emotionally liberated, and multifaceted.

Merrett has exhibited, given talks, and interviewed about her work, all of which are available on her website, annabelmerrett.com. She is also available for private commission.

About the Artist

London-based artist, Annabel Merrett, realised during a period of recovery that she had been a ‘shadow artist,’ hovering around artists without confronting her own creativity. Stepping forward, Merrett began painting, later attending art school to learn sculpting. Her work, based on observations and experiences of mental ill health, aims to present this charged topic digestibly, striving to produce compelling, even pleasing art that mirrors life.

Merrett draws on neuro-scientific insights from MRI scans to inform her work. She is fascinated by the brain’s workings, such as voluntary versus involuntary actions, and confused conscious reasoning versus subconscious motivations. Innovation in this area has exposed mental health prejudices, a progressive step that fuels Merrett’s work.

Merrett is also drawn to the human condition, the way learned behaviours, development, lifestyle, and personality shape how we choose to act and how we cope with the consequences. So often, we are propelled to protect ourselves, which often causes us to do the wrong thing and consequently makes our situation, maybe needlessly, worse. She asks, why do we do this?