ETERNITY AND DUST: MATTHEW ROLSTON’S VANITAS
Photographer and artist Matthew Rolston engages in conversation with fellow photographer and artist Sandro Miller to explore Vanitas: The Palermo Portraits, Rolston's latest fine art exhibition series and accompanying limited-edition book from Nazraeli Press. A single, large-scale fine art print from Vanitas will be on exhibition at Leica Gallery, Los Angeles from October 26 through November 2.
Created in the shadowed corridors of Palermo’s Capuchin Catacombs, Rolston’s Vanitas offers an unblinking encounter with centuries-old Christian mummies – faces held in a delicate suspension between life and oblivion. Through painterly hues and sculptural light, Rolston renders them not as relics, but as haunting presences, radiant with memory and loss. The work meditates on the fragility of the flesh, the persistence of devotion, and the mystery of what waits beyond.
The talk concludes with a question and answer session, followed by a book signing by the artist.
ABOUT MATTHEW ROLSTON
Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, director and educator known for his signature lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. He has been repeatedly identified throughout his career with the revival and modern expression of Hollywood glamour.
