Roland Persson often works in aluminum and bronze, but the silicone sculptures have become his hallmark. He colors silicone mass with pigments, and then wields the material with such skill that the ravishing end result is utterly realistic. Realism, a direct line to making the reality presented here, no matter how absurd it seems, credible. Persson says: “What is so appealing about silicone is that the material truly possesses its color, just like the skin on my hand is possessing the color of my hand. In silicone, I can create surfaces that are not only sculptural, but also painterly.”

Roland Persson is a Swedish artist, born 1963 in Hudiksvall and raised in Gävle. Today, he lives and works on the island Värmdö, just outside of Stockholm. Persson received his M.F.A. in 1993 at the Umeå Academy of Fine Arts, after which he has participated in a wide array of solo and group exhibitions, primarily in Sweden but also on an international level. Throughout the years, Persson has been awarded with numerous scholarships and grants, and many of his sculptures are permanently placed in public spaces all around Sweden. Persson’s bronze work “Untitled” from 1998 is a permanent sculpture in the Umedalen sculpture park.