Exploring a New Style Through Street Art
Yesterday, I painted a new mural at Stockwell Hall of Fame, one of London's well-known graffiti spots. This wasn't a commission for a client, but a personal project — an opportunity to experiment, push my style in a new direction and explore the relationship between photorealism and graffiti.
The mural features a powerful, photorealistic bear bursting through splashing water, with a fish held in its mouth. I combined the detailed animal painting with loose, expressive lettering, drips and gestural marks, allowing the realism of the subject to contrast with the raw energy of the surrounding graffiti.
Combining Photorealism and Graffiti
Much of my work has involved highly detailed, photorealistic murals, automotive artwork and portraiture. With this piece, I wanted to bring that technical approach into a more spontaneous street-art environment, allowing different techniques and visual languages to interact.
The detailed fur, movement of the water and expression of the animal sit alongside the looser marks and layered lettering associated with graffiti. Rather than keeping the two styles separate, I wanted them to work together as one composition — balancing precision with movement, and realism with a more instinctive, expressive approach.
Painting at Stockwell Hall of Fame also made this a chance to create something for myself, outside the constraints of a client brief. Personal projects like this allow me to test ideas, develop new techniques and discover possibilities that can feed back into future mural commissions.
A Personal Project at Stockwell Hall of Fame
Located in South London, Stockwell Hall of Fame provides a space where graffiti and street art can be created and experienced in a public setting. Painting there gave me the freedom to experiment with a new visual direction while contributing another piece to London's constantly evolving street-art landscape.
The mural also incorporates the Bible verse Psalm 145:15, adding a personal element to the imagery. For me, painting in public spaces can be about more than the finished image: it's an opportunity to bring together ideas, influences and subjects that matter to me, and share them with people who encounter the work.
Developing the Next Chapter of Olivierr's Mural Work
This mural represents an ongoing exploration of how photorealistic painting can interact with graffiti, street art and more expressive forms of mark-making. I'm interested in pushing beyond a purely realistic finish and creating work that combines detailed subjects with a stronger sense of energy, texture and spontaneity.
Based in Buckinghamshire and working across London and the UK, Olivierr creates bespoke murals for commercial spaces, brands and private clients, alongside personal street-art projects that continue to shape his practice.
This piece at Stockwell Hall of Fame is a snapshot of that process — experimenting, taking risks and allowing a new style to develop through painting on the wall.
