What can you tell us about your personal experience gained along the years by meeting all the people you have photographed?
There is no simplistic way of describing my experience with my subjects over the 53 years of taking photographs. Nevertheless, I believe this interaction has better enabled me to better understand the human condition.
Not everyone knows that you use to set all the science in your works by involving your own drawings and sculptures. Could you tell us more about the concepts and techniques used, maybe give us some examples?
Beginning in 2002 or thereabouts drawings, sculpture and installations began to pervade my images. Since then, the relationship between all these different artistic media have characterized the so-called Ballenesque aesthetic. Most importantly, these different medias have to be integrated and made coherent through photography.
What are you currently working on?
I photographed exclusively in black and white for nearly 50 years. Since 2017 nearly all my photographs have been shot in color. This media has opened up a whole new aesthetic to me and I hope to produce a publication containing these images over the coming years. During the last few months Hatje Cantz published Roger the Rat which documents a man who absurdly believes he is a rat. Also during this same time, Powerhouse books released “The Earth will come to Laugh and Feast”, a cooperative project integrating my imagery with the words of the important Italian poet Gabriele Tinti. Lastly The Roger Ballen Foundation built a Museum in Johannesburg South Africa which will exhibit art that is sourced from Africa, psychological in nature and be linked to the Ballenesque aesthetic.