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Ingrid Rollema has enriched The Hague with a number of remarkable human figures and imaginative creatures. The broadly smiling pole sitter in the Pietermanstraat is one of them. In his arms he clasps a fish which shows the same 'big smile' as the man holding it. The sculpture, which is more than a man tall, underlines the fact that the sculptor likes to mix reality with a dash of fantasy, a sense of perspective, liberating humour, unusual transformations or unexpected twists.

Not only in The Hague but also in other Dutch cities frayed chickens, dream images, free-spirited women, modern versions of totem poles and playful contemporary interpretations of mythological subjects and classical sculpture of Rollema pop up. By the way, the smile is not always present in her work. In 2006 she completed an impressive series of war impressions in mixed media. They are intense, dark scenes with battle tanks, bombers, helicopters, scorched earth and distraught civilians in charcoal, chalk, Indian ink and other materials.
On the three-dimensional plane Rollema experimented with baked earth. That yielded roughly modelled, frayed images. In addition, a series of portraits executed in bronze and a richly variegated collection of frivolous bronze fantasy figures form an essential part of her oeuvre.

A story apart are the 'wappers' Rollema made between 1996 and 2004. These are whimsical objects made of rice paper, painted with clay and sometimes incorporating lead. These wappers represent a search for the inside of the earth. However diverse, all Rollema's sculptures are characterised by a rough structure. The sculptor does not like a polished finish. Her love goes out to the rough sketch with here and there attention to a detail. Like the smile.