MGA Exhibition, Brutel, Tender, Human, Animal Roger Ballen Photography

Roger Ballen Dresie and Casie, twins, West Transvaal 1993 gelatin silver print

The photography is unsettling presenting workfrom 1983 - 2006. Ballen was born in New York City in 1950, he was introduced to photography at an early age, through his mother who worked for magnum photography agency and also ran her own gallery in New York. Roger Ballens works have been collected in the following books: boyhood (1970), Dorps (1986), platteland (1994) and many more.

The Photograph that stood out the most for me was the image of Dresie and Cassie, twins. This photograph was very confronting and hard to look at, it is a scary image thay both looked like mass - murderers, they had that look about them. They are drolling and have a stare that scared me. But art is not all about beauty.

All the photographs that Roger Ballen had taken have no visual depth, they all look very flat that is done intentically to make them look creepy, and add some shadows around the figures. Roger used black and white photography diliberatley to set the mood, as these pictures are mysterious and creepy, if they were in colour they would set a different mood, happy and bright. All the photographs that were on display used alot of line and shapes within the photo itself.

I didnt like this exhibition myself, i think because it was so confronting and creepy, i think it will stick in the back of my head though. I think i didnt like it because i have never witnessed this sought of photography before it was something new and extremly different.