Wallpaper — Rollin Leonard

Wallpapers

The Wallpapers are repeat pattern photographic collages made of bodies, faces, and liquid. Each piece is a kind of world or system, like an unending matte of bacteria, a colony of lichen, or a kid’s ball pit at McDonalds—a group of organisms tightly packed together in perfect tessalation. Playfully referencing patterns in the external world, like casino carpeting, as well as internal patterns like DNA, some are animated wallpapers, designed purely for the web and others are made to be printed. The Wallpapers have been exhibited as works of art, sold as digital artworks, and used to make clothing with the patterns.

“Crash Kiss” series over “Bellyworms” Wallpaper installed at bitforms NYC.

Mother Lode

2021-2022

Yellow, gold, and red gels. Self portrait photographed through drops of water on glass. Hexagonal repeat pattern.

Have you ever seen gold melt in a crucible? Liquid metal looks alive and when moisture is present, it gets violent.

Blood Sport

2021-2022

Red and magenta gels. Self portrait photographed through drops of water on glass. Hexagonal repeat pattern.

This concept behind Blood Sport is an old casino floor. This pattern is supposed to be a continuous swirling surface like oil on paper or blood in a pool. It’s a meditation of the vortices all around us.

Party Alarm

2021-2022

Red, magenta, green, blue, yellow, gold gels. Self portrait photographed through drops of water on glass. Hexagonal repeat pattern.

Inspired by a bouquet of balloons, bubbles, and the frenetic energy of birthday parties.

Rainbow Menace

2021-2022

All of the color gels. Self portrait photographed through drops of water on glass. Hexagonal repeat pattern.

The figures in this pattern are tesselated and interlocked in a struggle.

Wavy

2021-2022

Blue and violet gels. Self portrait photographed through drops of water on glass. Rectangular brick patterning by column with 1/2 offset.

Referencing water (waves) with water (material)—and also nodding to outer space.

Slime

2021-2022

Green and yellow gels. Self portrait photographed through drops of water on glass. Rectangular brick patterning by row with 1/2 offset.

Cartoon slime graphics and effects played heavily in my childhood media diet of Nickelodeon and toys like Gak. Ren’s and Stimpy’s green snot and alien mucus covered everything. The goo on TV was always so much more round and gloppy than any bubble of spit or runny nose I experienced. Here I am embodying that iconic cartoon slime in neon green.

Blob Camo Green

2018

Painted faces in color gecko, lime, and emerald. Model photographed through drops of water on glass. Grid pattern.

Camo is intended to hide a person in an environment, and here I am hiding people in the pattern itself. The technology of camo is ancient and has traditionally been used for the purpose of hunting and war. As a boy I made a camo outfit and hid in the bushes although nobody was looking for me except my brother, Tad. Camouflage in fashion has more to do with signifying military strength, but I like to picture my camo as being alive and at one with the green things in the world.

Blob Camo Green joggers and t-shirt. Check the gift shop for clothing.

Belly Worm II (Full Spectrum)

2015

Colors and bellies stacked up in one continuous gradient and line. Grid pattern.

In sports, the kinetic chain is a point of obsession. Pushing up from the floor with your feet, through your knees, hips, shoulder, elbow, wrist—hand to the ball. Extending that trust through your entire body to effect the game.

Flecks of Spit I

2014

Flecks of Spit was produced for “WALLPAPERS,” a show series by Sara Ludy and Nicolas Sassoon. Four gifs stacked in grid pattern. Original plays in browser. Screen captured.

I am my spit.

Flecks of Spit II

2014

Flecks of Spit was produced for “WALLPAPERS” a show series by Sara Ludy and Nicolas Sassoon. Four gifs stacked in grid pattern. Original plays in browser. Screen captured.

Belly Worm

2013

One continuous stack of bellies. This was created for the Post Pictures show at bitforms in NYC. Grid pattern.