Roger Ballen Inspired

 

Roger Ballen’s work is said to be dramatic, ironic, and at times even explicitly comical, achieving strong emotional responses in the viewer. The images aim to leave the viewer feeling uncertain as to the meaning of the works, and attempting to answer their questions through use of their own cultural and social conditionings that they may have grown up with. Roger Ballen himself mentions that the meanings of his ‘best’ works are clear not even to himself, and this is an important aspect of his works; the viewer should always be left questioning aspects of the image, which he/she has seen. I have tried to make use of these values whilst attempting to imitate Ballen’s style. I have made use of bizarre composition. The subject and objects relate to times that have passed, and may give a sense of sadness or even nostalgia; many of Roger Ballen’s works make use of old, dirty or broken remnants of generations passed.