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 acrylic panels under hard studio lighting. Characterized by bright colour-blocking and meticulous art direction, her work showcases a blend of clean lines and shadows.

After completing a BA in film and media at AFDA, Leah began her career as a multi-media producer, before turning to a career in commercial and fine art photography. She has collaborated with some of South African’s most prominent brands. Her current focus is on her fine art and building a body of work which makes people stare that little bit longer.

“My photographic practice is rooted in minimalism and vibrancy. I work with colourful Perspex forms, 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.

In this new body of work, I began heating and bending the Perspex panels, allowing fold lines to emerge in ways that echo origami. These folds meet at precise points, guiding the eye and creating subtle optical illusions that shift between flatness and depth. The process is slow and intentional, and the physical act of manipulating the material has become central to the work. This technique grew naturally out of the three-dimensional models I developed in my All Sorts series (2025). While that body of work focused on constructed forms, this new series pushes the exploration further—using folds, tension, and light in a more definable way.”

Leah currently works and lives in Kommetjie, Cape Town, and is an annual participant of Open Studios Kommetjie. Her studio is based in Heron Park.