The wastelands belong to my youth. When I was young I played in the outskirts of the city - watching the cranes at the harbour. There was no law but garbage, grass and wildflowers like boys and girls, rough, hot and sexual and full of hidden pleasures. Life and death are overlapping in the wastelands like in my paintings.

pp. 75-77 'Quotes', K. Appel (1989) - 'Karel Appel – the complete sculptures,' (1990)