Photographer Oskar Proctor, was born and raised in London. He trained as an assistant for 10 years and is now working internationally in the real of interiors and still life photography.
Wallpaper*: Describe your style of work and process.
Oskar Proctor: Pace is key to my process. It’s about building a form of momentum in which an interior shoot provides inspiration that can flow into a still-life set, which then brings something new to taking someone’s portrait. This means I have to stay very flexible and present to whatever environment I’m in.
If too many preconceptions are brought to a shoot it can be stifling and the unexpected is often what makes a good photograph. Any opportunity to bring in just a drop of strangeness is always welcome too, being able to push things outside the expected is something I’m really keen on.
‘Any opportunity to bring in just a drop of strangeness is always welcome.’
W*: Who or what made you want to be a photographer?
OP: If I could easily describe why I do it then I may not have to take pictures at all. That said, it seems to me that images, hopefully my images, describe a dialogue between photographer and subject which can express something beyond words. This is so important to me as pretty early on in my life I discovered that photography was the language I am most at ease communicating with. Fortunately I grew up in an environment where the potentials of creativity were recognised and valued.
Todd Eberle was an inspiration to me, he’s successfully equal parts architectural, portrait and interiors photographer. His book Empire of Space has always stuck in my mind for it’s mix of modernism and minimalism.
W*: What is currently on your radar?
OP: Ugandan architecture and the importance of its conservation, I recently taught photography there with charity organisation CCFU which was such a rewarding and eyeopening experience.
Birds and their history of being photographed is a point of curiosity, particularly ever-pervasive seagulls. Also I’ve got a couple of exciting book projects in the works, it’s too soon to talk about other than to say it involves toys.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Oskar Proctor’s website
-
Berlinde De Bruyckere’s angels without faces touch down in Venice churchBelgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere’s recent archangel sculptures occupy the 16th-century white marble Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore for the Venice Biennale 2024
-
Discover Acqua di Parma’s new Mandarino di Sicilia fragrance at Milan Design Week 2024Acqua di Parma and Fornice Objects bring the splendour of Sicilian mandarin fields to Milan to celebrate new fragrance Mandarino di Sicilia
-
First look at Samba Room, London’s innovative cocktail lounge packed with Brazilian energyLondon’s Samba Room, an extension of SushiSamba, is a dynamic bar, lounge and private dining space designed by Fabled Studio
-
Felicia Honkasalo on creative obsessions, gothic horror, and the sci-fi world of AI photographyExplore the vision of Helsinki-based artist Felicia Honkasalo in ‘Through the lens’, our monthly series spotlighting photographers who are Wallpaper* contributors
-
Cyprien Gaillard on chaos, reorder and excavating a Paris in fluxWe interviewed French artist Cyprien Gaillard ahead of his major two-part show, ‘Humpty \ Dumpty’ at Palais de Tokyo and Lafayette Anticipations (until 8 January 2023). Through abandoned clocks, love locks and asbestos, he dissects the human obsession with structural restoration
-
Year in review: top 10 art interviews of 2022, chosen by Wallpaper* arts editor Harriet Lloyd-SmithTop 10 art interviews of 2022, as selected by Wallpaper* arts editor Harriet Lloyd-Smith, summing up another dramatic year in the art world
-
Yayoi Kusama on love, hope and the power of artThere’s still time to see Yayoi Kusama’s major retrospective at M+, Hong Kong (until 14 May). In our interview, the legendary Japanese artist vows to continue to ‘create art to leave the message of “love forever”’
-
Antony Gormley interview: ‘We’re at more than a tipping point. We’re in a moment of utter crisis’We visit the London studio of British sculptor Antony Gormley ahead of his major new show ‘Body Field’ at Xavier Hufkens Brussels
-
Photographer Maisie Cousins on nostalgia, impulsive making and ‘collecting useless things’Explore the vision of British artist Maisie Cousins in ‘Through the lens’, our monthly series spotlighting photographers who are Wallpaper* contributors
-
Rashid Johnson in Menorca: a journey through migration, longing and togethernessWe visited Rashid Johnson’s Brooklyn studio ahead of the artist’s show at Hauser & Wirth Menorca, which contemplates drift – physical and emotional
-
Step inside the kaleidoscopic universe of Pipilotti RistSwiss artist Pipilotti Rist, who headlines Wallpaper’s November 2022 issue, has transformed the way we see, with a poetic yet playful practice spanning three decades. Here, and in a special portfolio, she reveals how she has liberated video art from its conventions, imbued the digital realm with emotion, animated public spaces, and harnessed the healing powers of colour
