Off the top of the head

The CWC GALLERY is delighted to be presenting the first exhibition in the whole of Europe of works by the American artist Matthew Rolston, which opens on April 23, 2016. Titled 'Talking Heads: The Vent Haven Portraits', the exhibition will be on display in Berlin up until June 18. It brings together 30 monumental colour portraits of ventriloquists belonging to the legendary Vent Haven Museum collection in Fort Mitchell, USA.

For his series, Rolston built up his portrait studio at the museum and consistently photographed his protagonists in the same manner: square format, mono-tone background and with the help of only one light source – a visual approach that is rooted in classic portrait photography along the lines of Irving Penn and Richard Avedon, but also Andy Warhol.

Even so, Rolston's imagery refers to the pygmalion topos: something lifeless is animated through the intermediary of a person. The figures that Rolston brings to life carry an abnormal form of humanity within themselves, and thus offer the viewer a glimpse at our collective consciousness.

Further information at: Camera Work and Matthew Rolston