Oliver Abbott

Oliver lives and works in Sydney, his practice is informed by a background in filmmaking and animation, as well as an interest in architecture and the built environment. ‘I’m fascinated by public spaces that go unused or become unkempt. The wear, age and position of an object, or a building, reveals the hierarchy of our priorities regarding it.’

Photographing, manipulating and painting scenes provides an opportunity to omit or diminish objects, people and vehicles to distill the relationship between the components in the space. ‘I’m interested in how modulating surfaces and their intersections can evoke a sense of nostalgia, longing and reverence for a place.’ 

Someone Will Come Along presents spaces void of people, activity and motion, where stillness awaits action. Ten scenes anticipating figures, vehicles, and movement. An acceptance of the ebb that facilitates the flow.

The subject is secondary to its depiction, here subject is a placeholder, vacant space is a necessary counterpoint to the principal objects. Negative space allows room to breathe, as solitude heightens the presence of company. For every peak there is a trough, circumstances change, and someone will come along.