Photographer Roger Ballen is known for his powerful black and white imagery. "I started in black and white from the early days and I like black and white because it's very reduced, it's very abstract, it doesn't pretend to be capturing so-called reality. It's a pure art form."
"Assembly" —
Photographer Roger Ballen is known for his powerful black and white imagery. "I started in black and white from the early days and I like black and white because it's very reduced, it's very abstract, it doesn't pretend to be capturing so-called reality. It's a pure art form."
Roger Ballen
Ballen's latest work, "The Theatre of Apparitions," explores people's subconscious and their view of the afterlife.
"Replacement" —
Ballen's latest work, "The Theatre of Apparitions," explores people's subconscious and their view of the afterlife.
Roger Ballen
Picking up the art as a hobby at first, his interest in photography eventually developed into a professional career.
"Black hole" —
Picking up the art as a hobby at first, his interest in photography eventually developed into a professional career.
Roger Ballen
I have been thinking about photography every day in my life since I've been about 18 years old." he told CNN.
"Divided self" —
I have been thinking about photography every day in my life since I've been about 18 years old." he told CNN.
Roger Ballen
Ballen says he wouldn't describe his photos as dark or disturbing. "When people say that, they are saying that the pictures are penetrating something in themselves that makes them nervous, so they call them dark," Ballen explains.
"Embroyotic" —
Ballen says he wouldn't describe his photos as dark or disturbing. "When people say that, they are saying that the pictures are penetrating something in themselves that makes them nervous, so they call them dark," Ballen explains.
Roger Ballen
"But if the pictures are inviting and bring forth a certain emotion to the viewer and they call them dark, I guess they should probably call them light because they are giving them something that they haven't been aware of or don't want to be aware of. So dark might be light."
"Stare" —
"But if the pictures are inviting and bring forth a certain emotion to the viewer and they call them dark, I guess they should probably call them light because they are giving them something that they haven't been aware of or don't want to be aware of. So dark might be light."
Roger Ballen
"This is a very different project because I didn't use physical reality, they are all drawings that I made on glass and then photographed," Ballen says, of "The Theatre of Apparitions."
"Face off" —
"This is a very different project because I didn't use physical reality, they are all drawings that I made on glass and then photographed," Ballen says, of "The Theatre of Apparitions."
Roger Ballen
"So they are photographs but they're not taken in three-dimensional space. I don't think I would've been able to make these without all my experience in photography. But they still are drawings and through them I was able to get to a different place in my mind."
"Guardians" —
"So they are photographs but they're not taken in three-dimensional space. I don't think I would've been able to make these without all my experience in photography. But they still are drawings and through them I was able to get to a different place in my mind."
Roger Ballen
Ballen's "The Theatre of Apparitions" images deal with the afterlife. "In all cultures, there's ghosts or ancestors, so these are photographs of spirits. Photographs that are pondering what do you look like, what does it look like in the afterlife?"
"Shadows" —
Ballen's "The Theatre of Apparitions" images deal with the afterlife. "In all cultures, there's ghosts or ancestors, so these are photographs of spirits. Photographs that are pondering what do you look like, what does it look like in the afterlife?"
Roger Ballen
"<a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thamesandhudsonusa.com%2Fbooks%2Fthe-theatre-of-apparitions-hardcover" target="_blank" target="_blank">The Theatre of Apparitions</a>," by Roger Ballen, is published by Thames and Hudson and available now.
"Voices" —
"The Theatre of Apparitions," by Roger Ballen, is published by Thames and Hudson and available now.
Roger Ballen