‘Let the imagination of the world, find sanctuary in what we love.’

Oliver Barnett is a British photographic artist who was born in the UK and since 2007 has been living in Cape Town. Following his relocation, he quickly fell under the influence of the wild elemental scenery of the Cape, so stark in contrast to the English countryside. What followed was a journey of artistic discovery and an ever-deepening relationship with the diversity and intelligence of the natural world. As an antidote to man's destructive relationships with the Earth, his art practice became a healing and generative way to reconnect to older threads and ancient mythologies embedded in the land.

Oliver spends long hours exploring these natural places, most notably with a macro lens camera, which perfectly captures the small details that corral his attention. He gathers together a collection of imagery, taken from powerful locations, ranging from the diversity of the Cape floral kingdom; the great African kelp forests and intertidal zones; and the craggy outcrops on Table Mountain. He photographs shapes, patterns and textures in nature that catch his eye. Studying these, he abstracts them into compositions, each with a unique lifelike appearance.

Much of his technique centres on layering and blending components of different photographic images until nascent life-forms emerge. He has a particular fascination with mirrored images of the natural world, which when reflected produce an almost organic Rorschach effect..

More recently Oliver has gravitated towards the animation of his images for use in stage and screen mapping and digital artworks. Utilising and experimenting with ever developing tools and programs, has fuelled his interest in training models using his own nature photography, exploring further the marriage of nature and technology.

Since 2013, Oliver Barnett has had 5 solo shows in The UK, Cape Town and Ibiza, most recently, ‘Small Gods’ in 2020, a solo exhibition in the Cotswolds, curated by Flora Fairbairn, which saw works placed in some prominent collections and historic UK residences.

CV Past solo exhibitions

2013 - Aqualibrium, Ministry of Nomads, London, UK

2014 - Animata, Ebony Curated, Cape Town, South Africa.

2016 - Polymorphic, Ebony Curated, Cape Town, South Africa.

2020 - Small Gods - Parkside, The Cotswolds, UK

2021 - Anima Mundi, Sabina Estates, Ibiza, Spain.

2022 - Wilcote House, Queens Jubilee (Lightbox exhibition) Cotswolds, UK.