Olivier Roller Bio

Olivier Roller is a French photographer who is an expert on contemporary portraiture. When the Louvre Museum commissioned Olivier Roller (Strasbourg, 1971) the first series of portraits dedicated to the statues of Roman emperors, he was far from going into such a timeless and intellectual photographic journey—the voyage into the heart of power. After experiencing an intense encounter with his first "subjects", Roller continued the journey by making portraits of the nomenclature of international media, politics and finance, which resulted in an incredible success.

Seizing the men of influence in all their power, their vanity, their fragility and their inevitable downfall, the artist will introduce a series of 12 photographs of Roman emperor busts: the sumptuous portraits are made from ancient sculptures belonging to the greatest museums around the world.

Olivier Roller’s photographs fascinate the audience by the contrast between the ancient and beautiful contemporary sublime. His images revisit the idea of ​​power that passes and ages just as men—no matter how mighty they are—disappear. The faces seem to hover through time with their imperfections and crevices on the stones, without forsaking the lust for power. He snatches the statues out of darkness and uproots them from oblivion and brings back the glory of the past; these imposing, vibrantly grained, anthracite coloured photographs will overwhelm the audience. Exposing their broken noses and other defects, these busts attest tragic sides of power.

The shock is aesthetic, cultural, and timeless. Emperor Caracalla seems to breathe through the scars on the stone that resemble those of his skin. Agrippa in chiaroscuro appears to conceal his darkest side. Lucius Verus is majestic, almost divine, despite the absence of his nose eroded by time. Caligula seems disturbing as a child. Lastly, Julius Caesar is pensive with his mind lost in time, inviting the audience to reflect on the vanity of power: a burning current issue.

And this is Olivier Roller’s talent: applying his original techniques of the 21^st century to the great Roman emperors to create direct, straightforward, true and sublime portraits. Followed by the artist’s success at the Rencontres d’Arles, Spazio Nuovo would like to offer the contemporary art fans a rare opportunity to experience this superb idea and rare poetic strength.