Oliver Mayhall

With all the technical advantages we now have available to us,  it was amazing to see some photography work, that narrated a whole new encyclopaedia of surrealism, without the advantages of AI. The thought-out conceptual ideas of one man, and his camera; his work poignant and surreal, and as an ex-philosophy student, we can see the generated hints of his outlook on the world. Although Oliver does point out he dropped philosophy for history midway through his course. His images transpose me somewhat to the early days of 80’s photography. Hinting on early Herb Ritz and Nick Knight, along with the fashion magazines at the time and the whole cult of photography was about pushing the boundaries, with contemporary thinking, in contrast to the slick perfections of technologically enhanced images that we see mostly today. However, marking his style with the most avant-garde ideas executed in a simplistic format to create an illusion off Daliesque photographic artworks. As I walked passed his booth at the Other Art Fair in London, and found myself stepping backwards, mesmerised by the illusions he creates, with intention of thought and profound obscurity. At the same time his portraits are clear clean photography, exposing the nuclear of an individual with a lateral outlook, “I don’t want to overcomplicate with my lighting” he emphasises.

Oliver’s photographs are art pieces, powerful works that resonate, with the same aesthetics that you would hang on a wall, whether it’s his compositions, there is a stillness that vibrates within the contexts of the absurd, in the depths of his elegant compositions. His surrealism is deliberate he tells me, as he walks and talks, pacing through the autumn surroundings, he is keen on the fresh air, and enjoying the weather as he strides through leafy Peckham. He has been scouting for locations for his next exhibition. He engages, when he talks about how he started with photography as a hobby, as he describes how he enjoyed taking his camera out and experimenting. Seeing the unusual in the everyday, obsessed with the puzzle, photographing puddles with reflections, creating dreamlike worlds, looking for those candid moments, he explains “Walking without a destination in mind, not knowing where you will end up” he tells me “You never know what is just around the corner with street photography”. Ultimately Oliver is a self taught photographer he clarifies, experimenting and practicing is how he has mastered his art. Street photography was more of a hobby, and the transition of making photography into a career was another journey.

He went traveling after his history degree, deciding what to do, and he first embarked on the idea of a film career, subsequently, he followed up his education with a master’s at Goldsmiths, in screen documentary, a one year course. He delved into the film world, and started describing a short documentary film he made, titled Launderette. Filming people doing their laundry, and having open and candid conversations with them, “I got lucky with the characters” he emphasises. He then started to look for work in the film industry, and whilst looking he came across a job as a photographer’s assistant. He knew nothing about the industry, Oliver explains, but he got the job, it was more about the ideas and thinking that they looked for. He learnt a lot about the photography business for the two years he tells me. “We are like sponges when everything is new to us”.

We start talking about which artist’s work Oliver most admires and who are his influences, he mentions photographers Rodney Smith, describing whimsical and fairylike images by the artist, that inspire him; Saul Leiter a groundbreaking photographer and painter; street photographer, Elliott Erwitt and Duane Michal’s playful images, experimenting with different layers and textures. Oliver was raised in Kent in the UK, and describes himself, more of a quiet observer; he tells me he sees things that he thinks some people don’t see. As the only one in the family who has chosen a creative path as a career, his parents are his biggest supporters and his father his biggest critic. They have one of his pieces on their wall.

He has loads of ideas, that he jots down, but leaves the concept fairly open, the experimentation leads to the final product, which he tries to adapt on the day, and finds he ends up with something more interesting. He tries to describe the envy he may sometimes feel towards painters, “They can create their art with a paintbrush and canvas. With my photographic ideas, it often takes more planning and organisation to make an idea come to life, as you need a team of people to bring a great concept together” he explains. Oliver describes his goal, to stop people and make them think. Although he doesn’t try, to direct people to a thought process, he likes people to be open to his work, someone will find an image amusing, or joyful and someone will find it depressing. When I asked Oliver, why he had swapped philosophy for History as a degree, he said philosophy was almost too puzzling. Philosophy means “Love of Wisdom” an activity people undertake to understand intrinsic truths about themselves, and like his work, the growth of an aspiring artist and or person, the understanding of ourselves is an eternal journey, for what we know to be ourselves will be experienced differently to someone else we may know or who encounter us. 

Interview: Antoinette Haselhorst