With a practice combining video, sculpture and installation, Oliver Ventress explores philosophies of being as a medium. This often encompasses unknowns such as the future of the world and notions of what will remain once human beings no longer inhabit the Earth. There is a particular preoccupation with extra-terrestrial beings and potential visitation – working in response to seeking, being in pursuit of, and waiting.

Born in Norwich, UK in 1996, Oliver Ventress studied Fine Art at the University of Lincoln, of which he graduated in 2017 and went on to complete an MA in the following years. He was an Associate Artist of Mansions of the Future in 2018, and in 2019 he held a studio space in Nottingham as part of the BACKLIT residency program. He was one of 15 nationally selected artists in the UK New Artist Collective in 2022, working with UK New Artists and SO Festival. He currently co-runs General Practice, an artist collective and contemporary project space and studios in the city of Lincoln. He is continuing to exhibit across the UK, in Nottingham in 2024 and London in 2025.

Ollie Smith presented his first Solo Exhibition ‘Space Time Matter ‘ (2023) at the Lincoln Arts Centre