EVENT

Snap! Space in collaboration with Steven Benson and the Southeast Museum of Photography presented Roger Ballen, 40 years retrospective. Roger Ballen joined us on opening night, spoke about his iconic works on exhibition, and signed books. On view through Dec. 17, 2016.

About the retrospective
This retrospective exhibition spanned over 40 years of image making and leads us through many incarnations of thought and process by one of the most influential and important photographic artists of the 21st century. The photography, installations and videos of Roger Ballen have been shown in important institutions throughout the world and he is represented in many Museum Collections such as Bibliotheque Nationale, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Tate Modern, London, UK, Museum Folkswang, Essen, Germany and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA.

About Roger Ballen
Born in New York City in 1950, Roger is the son of Adrienne Ballen, who worked with the Magnum photography agency in the 1960’s and later set up Photography House, which was considered one of the first photography galleries in the world. During these formative years, he was surrounded by photography greats such as Edward Steichen, Edward Weston and Andre Kertesz, before going on to study Psychology at the University of California at Berkeley.

Ballen then spent five years traveling around the globe, from Africa to Greece, Nepal and Indonesia and completed his first photography book Boyhood, an exploration of the meaning of boyhood across multiple cultures. He also developed an interest in geology and the landscape, and returned to the U.S. to obtain a PhD in Mineral Economics and in 1982, travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa and established a lucrative career as a geologist and mining entrepreneur.

In the 1980’s, while concurrently working as a geologist, Ballen began using photography to create a personal document of his surroundings in the rural countryside villages of South Africa known as ‘dorps’. During this time he developed a unique vision toward little-known corners and artifacts, trading stores, old houses and local populations, revealing the layered essence of these places.

Artist Roger Ballen is known for exploring the dark recesses of South Africa, and the darker recesses of his own mind, in his work. Before 1997, he photographed documentary-style images of the inequality he saw when he moved to Johannesburg, but he later began to incorporate himself into the images through heavy art direction and thoughtful symbolism, starting with his 2001 photo book Outland. In 2012, he directed South African Zef rap duo Die Antwoord's "I Fink U Freeky," video bringing his feral fascinations into the mainstream.

Snap! Space, 1013 E. Colonial Dr. Orlando, 32803.