Oliver graduated with an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004. In his digital prints, he uses his body to explore metaphors relating to issues of faith, memory, healing, race and violence. His work is layered and riddled with meaning and irony that continuously unfold upon viewing. "Inspired by literature, poetry, and trickster tales, my work uses my body to explore metaphors that relate to numerous themes...While eloquently stark, the iconic simplicity of the image(s) is deceptive; the work does not lend itself to a strict interpretation."