Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London (2017, 2016, 2015, 2014), John Moores Painting Prize, (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 2014) where she was a Prize Winner and shortlisted again in 2016. Recent exhibitions include: ‘Contemporary Masters From Britain 80 British Painters of the 21st Century’, China. Mandy Payne graduated from Nottingham University in 2013 with a BA Fine Art. This work aims to highlight the plight of the affected residents who have effectively been left in limbo and also, the somewhat impossible dilemmas facing the council until this political wrangling is resolved.’ Artist Mandy Payne. In June 2017, Salford council began removing the cladding from 9 blocks but then halted the process due to conflicting advice from the government. Salford has the highest number of affected buildings in the country with 29 high rise blocks failing combustibility tests.

The appalling recent Grenfell Tower tragedy (14 June 2017) highlights the depths of these inequalities and subsequently, a growing crisis has emerged over the issues of cladding new and existing buildings.

The effects of gentrification and inequality are present over the UK but are particularly evident in Salford. ‘We live in troubled times, in a deeply divided, disconnected Britain of haves and have nots, where the disadvantaged are left behind and excluded. In Limbo was commissioned by Mark Devereux Projects and the University of Salford Art Collection for the StudioBook Commission to Collect award 2017. Payne’s intention was to create observational images that spoke of the displacement of the existing communities and the transience of the urban landscape. It is the un-refurbished parts of Park Hill that Payne finds the most inspiring, where the memories and layers of the past are almost tangible. A portion of the estate has now been transformed into shiny, luxury flats whist part remains boarded up and derelict. At the time, the site was undergoing regeneration, making it a fascinating site to observe, both socially and politically. The work is layered and time consuming, employing aerosol spray paints and micro masking tapes to build up zones of flat colour and then oil paint for fine detail finishing.īetween 2012-17, Payne explored Park Hill, the Grade II* listed Sheffield council estate and one of Britain’s largest examples of Brutalist architecture. Payne works with materials that have a physical connection to the site, namely concrete and aerosol spray paints (referencing graffiti), casting concrete into small canvases to work on directly. Fascinated by the spaces people inhabit, the traces they leave and the capacity of places to absorb memories and experiences, Payne is drawn to locations that are in a transitional state, that are overlooked or derided. Mandy Payne is interested in issues of gentrification, social housing, regeneration and the flux of city environments. Medium: Spray paint, oil paint, tape, archival matt varnish on concreteīrief biography: b.

Limbo artist