Philip Rolla - where I came from
21.05.2022 - 30.10.2022

where I came from, the twentieth exhibition organized by the Rolla Foundation, is a tribute to its founder. A particular exhibition born from a long reflection by Philip Rolla on himself and on his past. These years, marked by illness and isolation led Philip to review those papers that we all accumulate during our lives. Among many memories and surprises he found negatives dating back to 1972. Shots of his California, the places where he spent his childhood and to which many memories are linked. Places that had already changed in 1972, mostly worn out by time and neglect, but which, for him, contain an unchanged dignity to remember.

Philip Rolla this time does not show a part of his collection but a part of his life.

Philip Michael Rolla was born 1938 in Madrone, California, a small agricultural town in the Santa Clara Valley. He graduated from Santa Clara University, and on finishing his studies in engineering and economics, understood that his destiny was not in working for a large American company, and decided for Europe.
In fall 1962 he went to Turin and worked for the automobile manufacturer Frank Reisner as an apprentice until 1965. He moved to Canton Ticino in 1966. The proximity to three large lakes, and the presence of Como boat builder Angelo Molinari – whose friendship and instruction were fundamental – made it the perfect place to further develop his interest in marine propulsion, and there he founded Rolla Propellers.
In Ticino he developed friendships with architects and artists – such as Dolf Schnebli, Pierino Selmoni, Flavio Paolucci and many others – thanks to whom he expanded his knowledge of international contemporary art. With his wife Rosella he began collecting minimalist works in the late 1990s, later followed by photography. In 2008 the Rollas reached an agreement with the town of Bruzella, where they live, and were granted rights to use the ex-kindergarten as a private museum dedicated to photography.