Robert Ashby

Mid Street Lab is proud to present Robert Ashby, an accomplished British photographer known for his eloquent explorations of contemporary life, inequality, and social aspiration. Ashby’s exhibition will feature three distinct sets of images, each asking questions about how we live, aspire, and respond to social injustices, without ever passing judgment.

Recognition and Support
This body of work has already garnered attention from notable figures in the arts and photography world, including Peter Carroll (aka Henry Normal), Dave Jordan (award-winning photographer), and Grant Simon Rogers (National Gallery lecturer).

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Opening Saturday 11th October

Private view Thursday 16

Guided tour Saturday 18

Closing Saturday 25

Open Tuesday to Saturday, 12-5pm

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Why Visit?
This exhibition invites visitors to pause, reflect, and connect with the social realities that surround us. Ashby’s photographs create empathy, spark dialogue, and illuminate inequalities with a clarity that is both urgent and human. By engaging with these images, visitors are prompted to consider their role in addressing societal inequities—and, potentially, supporting initiatives that create real change.

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Mid Street Lab’s Mission
Through this exhibition, Mid Street Lab aims to foster empathy, understanding, and action. We invite you to experience the work, share in the conversation, and consider how your engagement—whether through reflection, dialogue, or support—can contribute to a more just and inclusive society.

What to expect: Ashby’s exhibition will feature three distinct sets of images, each asking questions about how we live, aspire, and respond to social injustices, without ever passing judgment.

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“The contemplation of things as they are, without substitution or imposture, without error or confusion, is in itself a nobler thing than a whole harvest of invention.”

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‍1. Shut In, Shut Out – The Gates of Prosperity
The first series, Shut In, Shut Out, subtitled The Gates of Prosperity, confronts viewers with the stark inequalities of modern life. Through his lens, Robert captures the boundaries between privilege and the underclass, exploring our contemporary aspirations with precision and subtlety. These images do not lecture; they pose questions. How do our spaces, our possessions, and our opportunities shape the lives of some while excluding others?

2. Luxury Cars and the Performance of Identity
The second series turns the lens to the polished fronts of luxury cars, each one gleaming, bespoke, and adorned with plates that hint at names, jokes, or status symbols. Here, Ashby explores our apparent obsession with differentiation, admiration, and perhaps envy. The images highlight the humorous, sometimes ridiculous lengths we go to assert individuality and social status, while still revealing the deep human desire to be seen and valued. These works invite reflection on what we prize and why—and in that tension, they are both funny and profoundly telling.

3. Greenfelt Tower – A Disturbing Counterpoint
The final work serves as a poignant counterpoint: a photograph of Greenfelt Tower, reduced to ashes after a fire system defect was revealed five years ago. This image resonates with social and historical significance, prompting urgent reflection on colonialism, systemic racism, and the vulnerability of those who have been called upon to rebuild and sustain the nation’s healthcare and economy. Ashby, who once lived near the tower and witnessed the fire firsthand, captures the human cost of structural neglect. Presented during Black History Month, this work commemorates the fifth anniversary of the tragedy and the beginning of the building’s demolition in September 2025. The question it poses is stark: How will we respond—will we remain silent or act?

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