Véronique Rolland

Portraiture - Winner 2009

Born and educated in France, Véronique has been living since 1995 in London. Her work is included in the Photography Collection of the National Portrait Gallery and the Artists’ Books Collection at the V&A Museum. The themes she addresses in her work include the human condition with particular emphasis on women, how people are affected by the beauty and power of nature and the stillness of nature. Véronique began addressing these themes one by one in a series of projects including ‘Jay-Paris’ which explored human skin through an intense collaboration with a young girl. Rolland’s practice of taking a number of portraits or series allows her to highlight very subtle changes with integrity as shown with her most recent project ‘Whole’ which was shot over an 18-month period and considered twelve female models who each selected a nature spot in London that held a special meaning for her. The model was photographed nude in the exact location and position at different times of the year showing the subtle shifts in vegetation’s advance and recession and the sitters relation to her own vulnerability, her environment and to the photographer.