Since being named as one of the Evening Standard’s ‘women changing the world’ in 2022, and being featured in the likes of Harper’s Bazaar and Juxtapoz – not to mention receiving personal praise from President Barack Obama – she has been working as a studio holder at TKE, Dame Tracey Emin’s studios in Margate. Lately all Andrews’ attention has been directed towards creating a new body of work, now presented as a solo exhibition at Soho Revue – Flies in Amber runs to January 11th.

Andrews’ champion for The Wick is India Rose James, the founder of Soho Revue, who has been an ardent supporter of the artist’s work. She said: “Layla Andrews has this ability to pull you into her world, a space that feels both dreamlike and unsettling, where crocodiles embody human emotion and memory. Her new show, Flies in Amber, is cleverly layered, inviting viewers to project their own stories onto her work. The authenticity in her storytelling transforms deeply rooted experiences into timeless and universally resonant pieces. For me, Layla represents everything I love about the artists we champion at Soho Revue. She’s fearless, original, and utterly captivating. Flies in Amber is a stunning exploration of what it means to endure, and I’m so proud to shine a spotlight on her for The Wick.”

Andrews’ third exhibition at Soho Revue features a new suite of paintings centred around an anthropomorphic crocodile as their protagonist – inhabiting various intimate and domestic scenes. There is a certain wry and surreal wit to Andrews’ choice but she also purposely chose crocodiles as they evoke a sense of toughness and resilience, an ancient creature that has survived through centuries and adapted to a changing environment with wisdom. Andrews is drawn to this creature for this reason. “Crocodiles have existed long before humanity and have adapted to survive through different epochs. This ancient resilience deeply resonates with me”, she asserts. “In my work, the crocodile becomes a symbol through which I explore human emotions—strengths, vulnerabilities, and everything in between. It serves as both a mirror to the self and a veil over it—an ancient witness to humanity’s triumphs and follies. The paintings are about seeing humanity reflected back at us in unexpected forms.”

The show’s title Flies in Amber refers to Andrews’ treatment of time, “much like insects preserved in resin,” the artist says, referring to the preservation technique made popular in the Victorian era as a way to understand and educate on the natural world. The title – and the metaphor of the crocodile as a stand-in – is a way to speak about universal human ideas of perseverance, transience and struggle. “I feel that this body of work is particularly guttural. It carries a heaviness with the paintings exploring themes of loss, grief, memory, and change. Creating these pieces has helped me articulate how I feel, it has been both a raw and cathartic experience for me.”