STUDIO CATACOMBS
Founded in 2021, Catacombs is Tom Herck’s studio, exhibition space, and evolving laboratory for artistic experimentation. Housed within a former industrial site in Sint-Truiden, the 1,300 m² space transforms a forgotten piece of local heritage into a living environment where creation, research, and dialogue converge.

The architecture of the building—its monumental halls, hidden passages, and traces of industrial history—became the foundation for the project. Inspired by the catacombs of Palermo, Paris, and Lima, Herck reimagined the site as a contemporary reflection on time, memory, mortality, and transformation. The space embodies many of the recurring themes within his practice: the rise and fall of civilizations, the tension between beauty and decay, and humanity’s desire to leave a lasting mark.

Rather than functioning as a traditional studio, Catacombs operates as an immersive ecosystem where artworks, artefacts, unfinished experiments, and personal narratives coexist. Monumental sculptures stand alongside fossil remains, industrial relics, and installations from previous projects, revealing the interconnected threads that run through Herck’s oeuvre.

Rooted in his hometown of Sint-Truiden, Catacombs reflects a conscious commitment to place. By choosing to build his artistic headquarters outside major urban centres, Herck creates a platform where local history and international perspectives meet. The space serves as both a working studio and a destination for collectors, students, institutions, and curious visitors.

Catacombs is not merely a place where artworks are produced. It is an artwork in itself: a continuously evolving environment that invites reflection on what societies preserve, what they abandon, and what remains after everything else disappears.

"On Grandmother's Way" by Tom Herck is a personal and provocative installation at Catacombs, paying tribute to his grandmother, Josee De Duvel, a former brothel owner who died by suicide. Through this work, Herck reflects on family, identity, and how personal lives intersect with social taboos and history.

The installation recreates a nostalgic brothel environment with vintage decor—oriental rugs, a piano, a bar, and even a swing—inviting visitors to linger and reflect. Framed references to his grandmother’s life and death are mixed with satire and symbolism, including a human skeleton in a coffee table as a nod to mortality and memory.

Located near Brustem’s "Chaussée d'Amour," a known prostitution zone, the installation’s neon signs like Club Tropical and De Cupido highlight society’s conflicted views on sex work. The gritty, industrial backdrop of Catacombs—with iron bars and fencing—adds themes of confinement and societal judgment.

Originally developed in 2022 at the nearby Castle of Ordingen as Chateau D'Amour, the piece gains added depth from its geographic and cultural context, bridging personal memory with broader conversations about sexuality and stigma.

Special thanx: B&K Strauven.
Pictures: Bart Ramakers, Erik Jamar, Stijn Elshout.
Text: Lara Van Oudenaarde.