...
Ballen was born in New York in 1950 and has been based in Johannesburg, South Africa since the early 1980s. His work as a geologist took him into its countryside and those experiences led him to photograph the hidden world of small South African towns. At first, he photographed its streets and soon found himself knocking on people’s doors and entering a world of people and objects, which had a profound effect on his work. After 2000, Ballen found his subject closer to home in Johannesburg — mostly marginalized white people who collaborated with him in the series Outland and Shadow Chamber to create powerful psychodramas. This line between fantasy and reality becomes even more blurred in his most recent series, Asylum of the Birds where Ballen creates elaborate sets using drawings, paintings and sculptural objects to heighten the bizarre and complex narrative. The human characters recede into the backdrop as their disembodied body parts interact with creatures of the animal kingdom, dolls etc. With this series, Ballen manages to integrate drawing and photography in a highly original way.
One of the most widely exhibited art photographers in the world, Ballen’s photographs reside in major museum collections including Museum of Modern Art, New York; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Musee de l’Elysee, Lausanne; Museum Folkwang, Essen; Tate Britain, London; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Johannesburg Art Museum, Johannesburg; Fotomuseum, Munchen; Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth and Berkeley Art Museum, California to name a few.