Leah Rolando

Leah Rolando is a photographic artist whose emerging career is defined by the exploration of optical illusions. She uses hand built sets as her backdrop and shoots perspex panels under hard studio lighting. Characterised by bright colour-blocking and meticulous art-direction, her work showcases a blend of clean lines and shadows.

Artists Statement:

My photographic practice is rooted in minimalism and vibrancy. I work with colourful Perspex sculptures, carefully arranging them to create images that sit somewhere between photography and abstract art. I’m drawn to the moment where a photograph begins to feel like a graphic object, and I enjoy playing with that tension - inviting the viewer to question what they are looking at and how it has been made.

Folded planes:

In this new body of work, Folded Planes, I began heating and bending flat panels of Perspex. By reshaping them, the panels become sculptural forms, where the physical act of manipulating the material is as important as the photography itself.

Folded Planes explores how simple photographs can produce visually complex results. The process is slow and deliberate, with folds meeting at precise points to guide the eye and create subtle optical illusions. Light, shadow, and reflection extend beyond the object and become part of the final image. These effectsaren’t entirely predictable - some are carefully planned, while others emmerge by chance.

 This technique developed naturally from the three-dimensional models in my All Sorts series (2025). While that body of work focused on constructed forms made by gluing together laser-cut shapes, this series pushes the process further: using 3D modelling software to design the sculptures, industrial machinery to bend them, and photography to complete the work by collapsing the space between object, sculpture, and image.