Over the years that we have visited Roger Ballen's exhibitions and interacted with his work, this is something he has often repeated – what the viewer sees is more about the viewer's subconscious thoughts, anxieties and fears than about the objective fact of what's depicted in Ballen's photographs. Much like when a child doesn't know to be fearful of a snake because no one has ever taught the child to be afraid – most of our fears are learned, rather than intrinsic, something that Ballen chooses to foreground.
Ballen has a background in mining, which might also explain his fascination with what's beneath the surface. He launched the Inside Out Centre for the Arts in Forest Town in March 2023 with the goal of fostering the arts in Johannesburg by hosting exhibitions, talks and workshops around art, photography and contemporary issues in Southern Africa. The Centre was a few years in the making, having been interrupted by the Covid pandemic that gripped the world. Like many things, the vision for the Centre pre-Covid shifted as the world outside changed, and what started as a project to archive Ballen's work is now a museum space.
The opening exhibition, which is now permanent, is titled End of the Game. It is a thought-provoking look at our relationship to animals and the animal world, a theme that runs through much of Ballen's photographic work, where for years he has featured a cast of animals from a broad menagerie, together with props, taxidermy, drawings and interesting humans. The Centre also features a small percentage of Ballen's immense personal collection of vintage artefacts, objects of curiosity, toys and props collected over a lifetime of travels across the world. That in itself is worth viewing.
At the heart of End of the Game is a searing look at how humans have treated, and mostly mistreated the animal kingdom, seeking to subjugate animals with viciousness and cruelty, hunting and trophy seeking. The exhibition raises important issues around conservation, a topic that is also explored in a talks series that the centre hosts from time to time.
More about Roger Ballen
Roger Ballen was born in New York in 1950 and has lived and worked in South Africa since 1982. His career, spanning five decades, began in the realm of documentary photography but evolved into something more complex and unique. Ballen’s work defies easy categorisation, blending elements of film, installation, theatre, sculpture, painting, and drawing to create what he describes as “existential psychodramas”. These psychodramas delve into the subconscious mind, touching on themes of chaos and order, madness, the human-animal relationship, and the interplay between life and death. While his visual language is can be disturbing, it is often darkly humorous at the same time. His art evokes a visceral response, forcing viewers to confront the darker aspects of their own psyche.Ballen’s work transcends traditional photography, offering a deeply philosophical exploration of the human condition. His ability to merge mediums and create a cohesive, unsettling narrative is unparalleled, making him one of the most important photographers of his generation. With more than 25 books delving into his work, including “Ballenesque, Roger Ballen – A Retrospective” (Thames and Hudson), his work has been extensively studied and celebrated. In the past few years, he has held more than 50 exhibitions worldwide, and his work is featured in museums and private collections.
The vision behind the Centre
Look to your left as you drive past the zoo up Jan Smuts Avenue towards Braamfontein, and you'll see the minimalist building – inspired by Japanese architecture. Designed by architect Joe Van Rooyen with input from Ballen, the Centre is more than a traditional white cube gallery. It is a crafted environment that encourages visitors to engage with the art, with photography as a medium, and with the space itself. Next door is the excellent Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre, and tucked one street away in Forest Town is the Johannesburg Contemporary Art Foundation. This is one of the reasons that Ballen chose the location – to be in the presence of these cultural institutions. He also chose it because it's an interesting midpoint between the city and the North and, of course, it's close to his home.'Ballen has a background in mining – which might also explain his fascination with what's beneath the surface.'
The goal of the Inside Out Centre for the Arts is to help South Africans locate the importance of art and relate it to their lives, and one of Ballen's main aims has been to create a space where dialogue and creativity can flourish. The space lends itself to exploration, while the small and lush garden adds tranquillity to the experience.
In addition to exhibitions, the Centre hosts work from across the continent related to Africa's culture, history and contemporary issues. Ballen's focus on work that induces a psychological impact on the viewer – an aspect of viewing highlighted by his photographic practice – shapes the curatorial choices. The Centre runs an educational programme of talks to increase accessibility to art and issues elated to conservation, making it a valuable addition to Johannesburg's cultural landscape.
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