Roger Ballen is one of the most important photographers of his generation. He was born in New York in 1950 but has been living and working in South Africa for over 30 years.
Over the past thirty years, his distinctive style of photography has evolved using a simple square format in stark and beautiful black and white. In his earlier works, his connection to the tradition of documentary photography is clear but through the 1990s he developed a style he describes as ‘ballenesque’.
In his recent series, he has employed drawings, painting, collage and sculptural techniques to create elaborate sets. Ballen has invented a new hybrid aesthetic in these works but one still rooted firmly in photography.
Thames & Hudson released The Theatre of Apparitions in 2016. In a departure from his existing oeuvre, intricately layered images occupy a space between painting, drawing, and photography linking image-making and theatrical performance.
In September 2017 Thames & Hudson released Ballenesque, Roger Ballen: A Retrospective, a major retrospective of his collected works.
www.rogerballen.com
Find more about his Masterclass at PhotoWerkBerlin.
