Oskar Schmidt was born in Erlabrunn, East Germany (former GDR). He now lives and works in Berlin, also spending time in São Paulo following a residency and scholarship in 2017 and 2018. He studied painting at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle with Gudrun Brüne and was a master student with Timm Rautert at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig.

His works have been shown in several solo exhibitions at Galerie Tobias Naehring, Leipzig (2022); Parrotta Contemporary Art, Cologne (2021); Galerie Tobias Naehring, Berlin (2020); Grisebach, Berlin (2019); Galerie Tobias Naehring, Leipzig (2019); Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Berlin (2018); Museum Gunzenhauser, Chemnitz (2017); Fotomuseum Winterthur (2016); Unseen, Amsterdam (2015); Parrotta Contemporary Art, Stuttgart (2015); Neues Museum Weimar (2014); Raum für aktuelle Kunst, Dresden (2013); Goethe-Institut, Washington, D. C. (2010); Parrotta Contemporary Art, Stuttgart (2010); Galerie Kleindienst, Leipzig (2009) and C/O Berlin (2009).

He has participated in numerous group exhibitions at Wilhelm Hallen, Berlin (2023); Art Vontobel Collection, Zurich (2023); Galerie Tobias Naehring, Leipzig (2023); Kunsthalle Bremen (2022); Weserburg Museum of Modern Art, Bremen (2021); Sharjah Art Foundation, United Arab Emirates (2021); Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb (2020); Galerie Tobias Naehring, Berlin (2020); Collection Spallart, Salzburg (2020); Kommunale Galerie, Berlin (2020); Collection Peters-Messer, Leipzig (2019); School of Visual Arts, New York (2019); Kunstmuseum Moritzburg Halle (2018); Daimler Contemporary, Berlin (2018); Dresden State Art Collection (2018); Pivô, São Paulo (2018); Daimler Art Collection, Stuttgart (2017); National Gallery of Kosovo, Pristina (2017); C/O Berlin (2017); Aperture Foundation, New York (2016); Center for Creative Photography, Tucson/Arizona (2015); Daimler Art Collection, Stuttgart (2014); Zabludowicz Collection, New York (2013); Marburger Kunstverein (2013); Collection Reydan Weiss, Oberstdorf (2012); Museum of Fine Arts Leipzig (2011); Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin (2011); Zabludowicz Collection, London (2010); Art Collection Deutsche Börse, Frankfurt/Main (2010); Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe (2009); Galerie Löhrl, Mönchengladbach (2009); Stadtgalerie Kiel (2009); Galerie Eigen+Art, Leipzig (2009); Kunstverein Speyer (2009) and Kunsthalle Rostock (2009), among others.

Oskar Schmidt was recently nominated for the Prize of the Böttcherstraße 2022 at the Kunsthalle Bremen. He also received the global cultural exchange stipend by the federal state of Berlin; Scholarship Neustart-Kultur of the Stiftung Kunstfonds; Pivô Research Residency Program, São Paulo; Scholarship by the Hans and Charlotte Krull Foundation; Purchase funding of Kunstfonds Sachsen/Kulturstiftung des Freisstaates Sachsen; Trustee EHF 2010 Fellowship by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation; FAAP Artistic Residency, São Paulo; Marion Ermer Award; Paris Photo—Aperture Foundation Photo Book Awards; Scholarship from the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania at Künstlerhaus Lukas, Ahrenshoop and the C/O Berlin Talents Awards.