Oli Kellett's Cross Road Blues Exhibition at Hacklebury Fine Art Features Global Urban Contemplation

British photographer Oli Kellett presents his exhibition Cross Road Blues at Hacklebury Fine Art in London until 2 March 2024. The show features large-scale cinematic photographs capturing individuals in moments of contemplation at urban crossroads across global cities. Kellett's project began in 2016 during a visit to Los Angeles ahead of the presidential election, evolving over four years with trips to Brazil, Colombia, Japan, Spain, Mexico, and various North American locations. His work Waiting for a Sign was longlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize. Kellett won the Royal Academy Rose Award for Photography in 2018. His book Cross Road Blues was recently published by Nazraeli Press. The photographer, who initially planned to study painting, supported himself during art college by reproducing Old Masters on London's South Bank and near St Paul's Cathedral. Kellett cites influences including Bernd and Hilla Becher, Sol LeWitt, Alighiero Boetti, Peter Dreher, and Wolfgang Laib. One notable image, Marion Street, Seattle, 2018, depicts an elderly woman possibly feeding ducks. The exhibition title references Robert Johnson's song about selling his soul at a Mississippi crossroads. Kellett maintains a daily drawing practice documenting a bar of soap's gradual disappearance, creating over 1,400 postcard-sized works. He also conducts weekly sourdough bread sales from his Hastings home.