Rollin Leonard

Laura (Woman's head as seen thru water droplets which in turn are body parts)

2015

Rollin Leonard has spent more than ten years of exploration on the human body, and more than 3,000 human subjects captured in every imaginable way. His work revolves around developing new photographic techniques and producing semi-sculptural works on paper, plastic, metal and in video. Some of the photographs he’s taken have been through a drop of water. He’s pushing the limits of water as an optical tool using laser cut plastics, etched glass, hydrophobic materials, oils, liquid vinyl, resin, humidifiers, spray bottles, and syringes. The images and video are supposed to look “fake” or reference computer generated effects but are essentially unaltered out of the camera. The fake-looking effects are physical and real, putting him in a category of “real fake.” Some would categorize him as part of Simulism (the world view that sees the universe as a simulation) despite not sharing his counterparts’ computer generated processes. Leonard’s work has been exhibited at The Photographer’s Gallery in London, Museum of the Moving Image NYC, Bitforms Gallery NYC, Transfer Gallery NYC, Postmasters Gallery in NYC, Haus der elektronischen Künste Basel, Carnegie Museum of Art, SFMoMA, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the Whitney Museum in NYC.