MEGABRECCIA is a site-specific exhibition by George Henry Longly, returning the
artist to the landscapes and geology of his Somerset hometown. The title refers to a
type of rock formed when broken fragments are bound together under pressure, a
process that becomes both material and metaphor in the exhibition. White lias stone,
resin, and mirror are set in tension with pressurised objects such as ball bearings and
NOS canisters, creating unlikely unions that speak of impact, balance, and
transformation. In these juxtapositions, Longly traces the shifting registers of scale and
time — from the formation of stone deep in the earth to the immediacy of human
presence — and asks how histories, identities, and environments are shaped through
collision and connection.
​
The works bring layered subjectivities and reflection into the chapel itself. Stone
sculptures emerge; a painting extends into the viewer’s space with protruding stone
fragments; mirrors play with colour, depth, and the act of looking; resin spheres
suspend stone like meteorites frozen in time. Together they explore suspension,
gravity, and the mapping of systems both cosmic and human. For Longly, this return to
Somerset is both a personal homecoming and a collective gesture. The exhibition
invites visitors to reflect on the local geology, the history of gathering and witnessing,
and the way fragments of stone, identity, and experience can congregate to form
something renewed.
Photography by Michiyo Yanagihara
George Henry Longly (b. 1978, Taunton, Somerset, UK) is a London‑based multidisciplinary artist. He studied painting and printmaking at Sheffield Hallam University and holds an MA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins (2005). His multidisciplinary practice combines sculpture, painting, installation, curation, sound, video, performance, and design.
​​
Longly’s practice blends technology and innovation with traditional techniques, embedding everyday and high-culture objects into stone, marble, mirror, and steel to explore ideas of transformation, consumption, and labour. Referencing museology and exhibition structures, he questions how objects are seen and valued. His interest in outer space and microgravity has led to his work travelling to the International Space Station. Longly’s work invites both engagement and contemplation, positioning the viewer as participant and observer.
​
Major solo exhibitions include We All Love Your Life (Red Bull Arts, New York, 2016); The Tissue Equivalent at Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Benthos at Galerie Kandlhofer, Austria; Toxungenous Activities Fiorucci Arts trust, London, and Park Nights at the Serpentine Gallery, London.
He has participated in significant group exhibitions at institutions including Lisson Gallery (London), ICA (London), Mendes Wood (São Paulo), David Zwirner (London), Kunsthal Aarhus, MAXXI, (Rome) and The Moving Museum (Istanbul). His work is in public and private collections and has garnered support from Arts Council England, The Elephant Trust, Fluxus Art Projects, and The Henry Moore Foundation.
​
Alongside his studio practice, he founded and co-runs Ridley Road Project Space and collaborates closely with artists Prem Sahib and Eddie Peake, merging visual art and music under the name AHMD. He is currently working on a major new public artwork on the banks of the River Thames in Central London, set to open in summer 2026.​