Erik Schmidt travelled to New York again a year after creating the Downtown series of paintings (2012), in order to re-visit the locations where the Occupy movement’s demonstrations were held. Had the protests changed the urban landscape in any way? These images describe the atmosphere in the city after the occupation of its public spaces had ended and business life had begun again. In his works Schmidt concentrates on individual elements that evoke the protests, and on depicting the streets around Washington Square Park and on the edge of downtown. Scenes with hoody-clad chess players and business people making phone calls on a street corner suggest urban life and simultaneously reference a painterly tradition always present in Schmidt’s works. In addition, some of the paintings portray interactions between demonstrators and police during protest actions on May 1st.