This ongoing body of work interrogates the multiplicity and contingency of reality itself. Schmidt posits that reality is neither singular nor fixed—each individual perceives only fragments consistent with their experiential framework and value systems. The project title functions as both descriptor and provocation: reality perpetually describes only a present state, never futurity. Embedded within this observation lies the critical question of whether existing conditions warrant preservation or transformation. For Schmidt, stagnation inevitably constitutes regression; thus, every observation of reality simultaneously performs retrospection and projects toward an unrealized, improved future.
The realitychanges works address pressing moral and societal tensions: our accelerating alienation from environment and nature, endemic egocentrism, and systemic social violence. Certain works additionally interrogate the ontology of art itself, inviting viewers to examine what constitutes artistic practice. Throughout, Schmidt maintains aesthetic rigor and conceptual surprise, producing works that sustain extended contemplation and genuinely alter perception.
Promoting Democracy
This work is a poster-based intervention addressing the public sphere. It is grounded in a historically charged visual reference that is deliberately distorted and translated into a contemporary context. The original colour scheme is replaced by a palette reminiscent of current political symbolism, while a recognisable graphic element is formally integrated into the historical sign. The work does not seek equivalence, but rather makes visible visual continuities and shifts in political iconography. It examines how extremist symbols can be aesthetically softened, fragmented, or recontextualised—and where visual proximity turns into normalisation. At its core, the work reflects on the responsibility of art in times of democratic erosion. It functions as a visual warning and an invitation to critical self-examination: how attentive is a society to its symbols, its images, and the meanings it allows them to carry? The work was created for the art competition Promoting Democracy and selected for the exhibition of the same name.
