Expo Catacombs
Culture, history, and entrepreneurship come together in “Catacombs”, located in the industrial area of Sint-Truiden. This art space houses a unique collection of contemporary art by the multidisciplinary Belgian artist Tom Herck. The 1,300-square-metre workshop offers opportunities for collaboration with national industries. The artist takes the lead in developing ideas and projects that guarantee innovation from an international perspective, with respect for history and tradition.
Tom Herck deliberately chose his birthplace, Sint-Truiden, as the location for his new art space, expanding his empire on his native soil. Responding to the urbanisation trend in Limburg and most rural European areas, Herck establishes a deep connection with the fertile Haspengouw soil. Catacombs presents a variety of striking sculptures and installations that tangibly address universal social issues. They are an inviting and challenging source of inspiration for numerous new creations, projects, and collaborations.
A visit deep into the Catacombs is a total experience where art allows for unbridled curiosity, surprise, and reflection, far from the noise of the outside world. Catacombs connects different perspectives in a personal way and creates an emotional journey for all visitors (art collectors, schools, tourists, business clubs, and many more). Tom’s life story and creative vision form the starting point of a dialogue with anyone curious about art.
The collection shows the (im)material contrasts between past and present, beauty and decay, that are characteristic of Herck’s oeuvre. An added value of the space is its educational quality. Real artefacts (authentic remains of 85-million-year-old dinosaur bones) are displayed alongside museum dinosaur models and installations from previous projects such as “Holy Cow”, “Decay works”, “EuroVision”, and more.
Abandoned heritage site brought back to life
Tom reimagines an abandoned heritage site as a studio. The central space of the room reveals the original structure and the industrial heritage of Sint-Truiden: the Materne jam factory, a company that has been a symbol of Belgian pride for over 100 years. When the artist discovered the space, it reminded him of a religious place, specifically the catacombs he had visited during his previous travels to Paris, Palermo, and Lima. Moreover, the space fits well with the common thread in the artist’s oeuvre, which often deals with themes of transience and decay.
Fascinated by this idea, the artist decided to expand this concept to create a unique studio experience that everyone can enjoy. Catacombs embodies the artist’s new interpretation of the site. The concept of underground funerary galleries – a design originating from ancient Rome – seems to come from another dimension, far removed from our daily lives.
