The Latest Catastrophe
The Latest Catastrophe

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The Latest Catastrophe

The American artist Leonardo Drew creates monumental compositions out of ruin: scorched wood, oxidised metal, ceramic fragments, cast-off debris. The forms he builds—grids, stacks, eruptions—teeter between order and entropy.

Leonardo drew at slg  2025. photo andy stagg %282%29

Leonardo Drew: Ubiquity II, South London Gallery, 2025. Photo: Andy Stagg

"The story of that object is indeed the story of us…"

At South London Gallery, fragments of wood and debris are scattered across the walls and floor of the main space. Two heaped, pyramidal forms rise on either side, their near-symmetry suggesting twin catastrophes or the aftermath of a singular, overwhelming force—like a river gouging a valley through a landscape. The two masses loom over the viewer, facing one another like opposing forces far larger than ourselves having a conversation over our heads. Today, they look like governments.

As in the rest of Drew’s oeuvre, the nature of the catastrophe remains elusive, but its pervasive presence is undeniable. Yet, in the same breath, Drew creates triangles and squares—forms that feel familiar, graspable—nothing disastrous about simple shapes. Packaging chaos in comprehensible chunks recalls the news cycle: a headline or news alert is never hard to understand, yet the relentless churn envelops and exhausts us.

Drew creates a space where meaning is not imposed but invited to unfold. There is a tension here between freedom and defeat, a recognition that sometimes it is only through surrender—accepting ruin and exhaustion—that one can begin to dust oneself off, to move forward.

In this email exchange, the artist talks material histories and metamorphosis.

Leonardo drew at slg  2025. photo andy stagg %283%29

Leonardo Drew: Ubiquity II, South London Gallery, 2025. Photo: Andy Stagg

"we are part and parcel the nature of nature."

Sammi Gale

Your work often evokes the aftermath of some great event—like the residue of a storm or an implosion—yet it’s made with such evident care and attention. Could you say something about this co-mingling of violence and tenderness?

Leonardo Drew

Yes, you name the catastrophe of the moment and my work is there to echo the event. It just so happens my choice to co-mingle and exist with natural happenstance has fostered a consistent visual that mirrors the weather.

SG

You work with materials that carry deep histories—wood, rust, debris. There’s a palpable sense of time embedded in the work. Could you say something about how you think about time, both in terms of material and process?

LD

I realised early on in my practice that so much life is embedded in found objects and I wondered and studied how that came to be. The story of that object is indeed the story of us… the story of life and layers of residue that reflects our existence. 


SG

There's a splatter or energy in some of your compositions that recalls abstract expressionism—Pollock especially—but your work is also deeply grounded, almost geological. I’m wondering how this potential push-pull of instinct and structure co-exist might play a part in your daily process?

LD

The 'attack' of material is indeed an expressionistic approach to creating. Nothing hidden there. The truth in how things are birthed is rooted in the cycles of existence, birth, life, death and regeneration. Using this philosophy as base for creativity makes sense. We are not separate from these forces …we are part and parcel the nature of nature.

Leonardo drew at slg  2025. photo andy stagg %284%29

Leonardo Drew: Ubiquity II, South London Gallery, 2025. Photo: Andy Stagg

SG

Many of your works are titled simply with numbers. What’s behind that decision? How do you think about language — or its absence — in relation to your work?

LD

When it comes to the life of the work I say 'Get the hell out of the way!' Titles not necessary… The viewer should be allowed to have a full on experience with the art without having to go through you. They are complicit in the process of rounding out the life of the work. It is indeed a mirror that reflects the how and why of our condition on this planet. It’s the conversation that must happen. 


"When it comes to the life of the work I say, Get the hell out of the way!"

SG

When it comes to exhibiting at somewhere like South London Gallery, how does context—geographic, architectural, institutional—shape the way you think about presenting work?

LD

The shape and architecture of the space does indeed influence the direction of the work . It frames and becomes a super additive to the experience . Unknown to most viewers of this particular piece is that this is the 7th iteration of this sculpture. To see the previous configuration would be a shock and a surprise but the level of consideration of its surrounding is the key factor in its continued metamorphosis. 


SG

I’m sure you get this all the time but if I may I’d love to ask how you feel about nominative determinism? You’ve got a great name!

LD

I wonder also at this aspect of me. As a child growing up in the hood I was constantly beaten up because of my name. It wasn’t until my mother put me into catholic school that the nuns informed me that there was 'another Leonardo'. At that moment I realised I was not alone. Leonardo 'DREW' a picture became the new mock from the kids but it also made sense. I’m wearing it.

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