Tom Van Herrewege: Drawings in the Depths at the Florence Trust
Throughout his career, the Leicestershire-based artist Tom Van Herrewege has displayed a fascination for the animal kingdom. Seemingly endlessly beguiled by the rich variety of creatures with whom we share our planet, he has travelled to Australia, Madagascar, South Africa and the USA to observe and capture species in their natural habitats. Appearing in collections as far afield as Durban Museum and Cairns Art Gallery, Van Herrewege’s works tend to be characterised by their bold dimensions and stark monotonal combination of charcoal, chalk and pastels. A new exhibition, held at the Holy Trinity church in the middle of Cloudesley Square, Islington, reveals the artist remoulding his line of enquiry.
In the opening room, one encounters a menagerie of wildlife drawings. Van Herrewege is directing his focus on some of the planet’s most deadly killing machines. Nile Crocodile (2024), in close up and menacing teeth to the fore, holds a similar sense of foreboding to the artist’s drawing, Orca (2025). The latter, a depiction of a killer whale, all jaws agape and tiny white eyes, ominously recalls the 2010 tale of a trainer tragically killed by the animal under their charge at SeaWorld Orlando. Crested Eagle (2024), an over-life-size side profile of that monarch of the skies, sees the artist capturing the majesty and laser-eyed intensity of the bird, with its feathers particularly sensitively rendered. Standing out in this company is Van Herrewege’s 2023 work, The Lion. Here, testifying to humanity’s spiritual and cultural lionine investment over millennia, one finds a king of the jungle apparently moving through the high grass of a savannah, framed by 12 diverse images of lions from around the globe. Van Herrewege has, in recent years, posed questions for the viewing public as to why we tend to look at the animal kingdom in a particular way and the impact this has had on the natural world.
The second and final room at the current exhibition sees Van Herrewege embarking upon a new pathway. True to form, a monumental drawing of a hungry-looking bear stands imposingly on the centre wall, but this is surrounded by human presences or at least implications of human presences. It is here that the reasoning behind the show’s title, Drawings in the Depths, becomes apparent. As a draughtsman, Van Herrewege holds a keen interest in the early days of drawing itself as a human activity. On opposing walls are displayed two vast drawings of caves, amalgamated from several locations, including the famed Bédeilhac Cave in Ariège, France. Filled with stalactites and stalagmites, each image projects the depth and layers of these caverns. Additional written comments on both canvases allude to the daunting obstacles ancient cave artists were forced to overcome, chief among them predators, such as bears. Intriguingly, a closer inspection of the centrally hung large bear work reveals how Van Herrewege has included his own rendering of a prehistoric line drawing found in a cave in France, featuring the profile of a bear alongside two mysterious human figures. The challenges faced by these ancient creators on their spiritual pilgrimages are emphasised by four further canvases, each showing a glowing torch, illuminating cave interiors. Utopia (2025) is arguably the most visually satisfying of the quartet, its flickering white flame shedding a carefully graded amount of light on a cave artwork.
The same room of the exhibition holds another intriguing set of pieces, entitled Pilgrims (2025). At first glance, resembling oval shields, these turn out to be drawings based on profiled human portraits etched into limestone over 150 centuries ago and rediscovered in La Marche cave in Western France in 1937. Van Herrewege’s rerendered images of these supposedly trading nomads have been scored into concrete on wooden boards. He expresses both amusement and fascination for the varied degree of artistic competence evidenced by these archaic individuals. One particular portrait bears a resemblance to Mickey Mouse, whilst its immediate neighbour reveals a surer feel for human form.
Drawings in the Depths marks a compelling new chapter for Tom Van Herrewege. The artist has undoubtedly lost none of his passion for depicting the wonders of the animal kingdom in all of its rich diversity. His dramatic, detailed drawings continue to explore how wild animals are perceived within their own habitats, whilst drawing attention to species threatened with extinction. Over the last year, however, the artist’s visual investigations into ancient Ice Age artwork, fueled by Van Herrewege’s own visits to prehistoric sites in Europe, have brought his practice fresh impetus and a renewed vigour. Visitors will leave curious as to what creative pathway the artist will choose to pursue next.
James White
Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Tom Van Herrewege: Drawings in the Depths was at the Florence Trust from 15th to 29th August 2025. For further information, visit the artist’s website here.
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