Panel Discussion: Waste Ground

About

Ana Schimdt's architecture training and day job as an Urban Planner influences her painting.

"By employing an almost photorealistic approach, she deliberately seeks out seemingly surreal subjects that might otherwise be characterized as banal. The effect is to create a narrative about the human condition in contrast to our urban surroundings. The motorways, bypasses, waste transfer stations, recycling facilities and factories are the social fringe that stands on the periphery of our urban centres are what ultimately speak to Schmidt." - Anise Stevens

Rob Reed describes his work as that of a ‘Romantic Realist’, depicting a sense of melancholy deriving from the loss of Romanticism’s admiration of the sublime found in nature. "My subject matter is about bringing to light aspects that we consider the mundane and moments which we usually disregard or miss brought to attention for audiences to develop a new sense of appreciation for such." Rob has exhibited widely, including with the New English Art Club and at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

John Rogers is a Writer and Filmmaker focussing on London and walking the areas that others often miss. In the foreword to his book This Other London – Adventures in the Overlooked City, Russell Brand described him as "like an alchemist, not only is he unkempt and dresses like a person who has fallen through the cracks, he also makes the mundane and unremarkable glow with newly imbued magic.