Dani Trew

Dani Trew (b. 1991 in South Africa, raised in London) explores personal mythologies and notions of femininity through her drawings and paintings. Trew studied English Literature at the University of Oxford, and History of Design at the RCA, before starting a PhD on fashion and politics in late 19th century Britain. She also worked as an Assistant Curator in the V&A’s Furniture, Textile and Fashion Department, as a Curatorial Researcher for V&A East, and on a number of Fashion-related exhibitions. In 2015, she was shortlisted for the BP Portrait Award, and in 2023 she graduated from the Royal Drawing School’s postgraduate programme. 

Influenced by her career as a design historian and curator, as well as her multicultural background, Trew’s drawings and paintings use disparate objects, textiles, and architectural features to examine tensions within internal worlds and narratives. Her work is characterised by exquisite detailing and the fusion of contemporary fashion with these art historical references, creating paintings which have both a sense of stillness and a psychological intensity.