Oli Kellett: Fountains
HackelBury Fine Art presents Fountains, a solo exhibition of new works by British artist Oli Kellett, on view until 17 May 2025.
Building on the acclaim of his earlier project Cross Road Blues (2016–2020)—which portrayed solitary figures paused at intersections in cities around the world—Kellett now turns his lens toward something more intimate and atmospheric: the fountains of London’s Trafalgar Square.
In this latest body of work, Kellett shifts from expansive urban vistas to the almost imperceptible spectacle of fine water droplets suspended mid-air. Captured using a telephoto lens, these suspended drops become delicate, ephemeral brushstrokes—light as air, carried by the wind, and subtly shaped by surrounding light and weather conditions. What emerges is a series of poetic, almost painterly photographs that embrace chance and impermanence.
The location—just a short walk from the National Gallery—also speaks to Kellett’s long-standing connection to painting. His images are rich with art historical echoes: the shimmering particles evoke the pointillism of Seurat, while other compositions subtly nod to artists such as Courbet, Auerbach, Monet, Van Gogh, and Whistler.
Through Fountains, Kellett continues to explore the extraordinary within the ordinary. His images speak to the fleeting, often overlooked moments that define our experience of the urban world.
About the Author
Oli Kellett lives and works in Hastings, UK. He studied at Central Saint Martins in London and has gained international recognition for his thoughtful and visually striking explorations of the human presence in urban settings.
His critically acclaimed Cross Road Blues series examined people’s quiet moments of reflection while waiting at crosswalks, culminating in a monograph published by Nazraeli Press in 2023. Since 2020, Kellett has expanded his practice through more introspective works, including Life Drawings and his daily Soap Dish drawings.
While rooted in photography, Kellett’s work is strongly informed by painting—both in composition and sensibility. He values the serendipity of a captured moment and the quiet introspection that often inhabits his subjects.
Kellett’s work has been widely exhibited and recognized with several awards, including the Rose Award for Photography, the Royal Academy Arts Club Award (2018), and the Royal Photographic Society’s Bronze Prize (IPE 161). He has been shortlisted for the Photo London Emerging Photographer Award (2021) and the 7th John Ruskin Prize (2024), and his work featured in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (2022, 2023).
His most recent work was exhibited at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London in January 2025. His photographs are held in private collections across the UK, Europe, and the US.
Oli Kellett: Fountains
through 17 May 2025
HackelBury Fine Art, London, UK
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