For sixty years, photographer Roger Ballen has cultivated a visual language so distinct it has earned its own name: the “Ballenesque.” His work, known for its psychologically charged and surreal imagery, challenges viewers to look beyond the surface and confront the complexities of the human mind. Now, Ballen is extending his vision beyond the photograph with a new arts institution in Johannesburg designed to champion the medium in South Africa.
In a recent conversation, the artist detailed the core principles of his aesthetic, his evolution as a multimedia artist, and his mission to create a permanent home for photography in a country rich with talent but lacking in dedicated spaces.
Key Takeaways
- Photographer Roger Ballen has developed a unique style over his 60-year career known as the “Ballenesque,” characterized by surreal, psychologically intense scenes.
- His work intentionally disrupts conventional perception to explore the unconscious mind, often merging photography with drawing and painting.
- Ballen recently opened the Inside Out Centre for the Arts and the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography in Johannesburg to support South African artists.
- After decades of working in black and white, Ballen has recently transitioned to using muted, tonal color to explore new psychological depths.
Defining the Ballenesque
The term “Ballenesque” first appeared in 2016 to describe Ballen's unmistakable style. His photographs are often set in confined, windowless rooms that feel detached from the outside world. These spaces act as stages for the subconscious, populated by individuals from the margins of society, animals, and an array of seemingly random objects.
According to Ballen, the style is built on a tension between opposites: order and chaos, the familiar and the strange. “The settings are most often confined, windowless interiors that appear detached from the outside world, functioning as visual embodiments of the subconscious mind,” he explained.
A Rigorous Chaos
Despite the chaotic appearance of many of his images, Ballen emphasizes that each photograph is built on a foundation of rigorous formal composition. He pays close attention to the interplay of line, shape, and spatial balance to create a sense of harmony within the disquieting scenes.
Art as a Psychological Mirror
At the heart of Ballen's work is an investigation of the human psyche. He believes his photographs act as a gateway to the unconscious by disrupting our mind's natural tendency to categorize and create narratives. “Normally, our minds want to organise things—make a story, find categories, look for meaning—and my photographs try to destabilise that process,” Ballen stated.
He advises viewers not to try and “solve” his pictures but to allow the ambiguity to provoke an internal response.
“The photograph will not just be an object of your perception, but a reflection of something hidden within yourself.”
This approach is central to his artistic philosophy, which encourages a confrontation with the parts of ourselves we often repress. He frequently references the work of psychologist Carl Jung, particularly the concept of the “shadow self.”
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious,” Ballen said, quoting Jung. “This is the space my work seeks to inhabit: a confrontation with what lies beneath.”
From Photography to Multimedia
While known as a photographer, Ballen's practice has expanded to include sculpture, film, painting, and theatre. Drawing, in particular, has become an integral part of his photographic process, blurring the lines between mediums.
The Role of Drawing
What began as incidental lines from wires and graffiti in his earlier work has evolved into a deliberate act of mark-making. In his series The Theatre of Apparitions, he scratched images onto glass, and more recently, he has applied thick paint directly onto his color Polaroids.
“Merging these two mediums creates an ambiguity around what is real and what is not,” he explained. For Ballen, drawing provides a raw, instinctive quality that seems to come directly from the unconscious, a concept he links to the “psychic automatism” of the Surrealists.
A Shift to Color
After decades committed to black and white, Ballen began a decisive shift into color in 2016. He was concerned that color might dilute the power of his work, but found it opened a new dimension of psychological exploration.
He describes his approach not as using bright pigments but as “monochromatic colour”—muted, subdued, and tonal. “The images contain desaturated hues which suggest bleakness and decay, while sudden bursts of red or green break through with emotive or suggestive power,” he noted. This transition has allowed him to create atmospheres with greater depth and complexity.
Building a Legacy in Johannesburg
Ballen’s vision has materialized into a physical space with the establishment of the Inside Out Centre for the Arts in Johannesburg. Opened in 2023, the non-profit institution is designed to be an artwork in itself, reflecting the core tenets of the Ballenesque aesthetic.
A Centre for Photography
Recently, Ballen added the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography to the institution. He created the space to address a critical need in South Africa's art scene. “South Africa has extraordinary photographic talent, yet very few spaces devoted entirely to the medium,” he said. The Centre aims to provide a dedicated platform to elevate local photographers and connect them with the international art world.
The building, designed by architect Joe van Rooyen, features a Brutalist exterior that opens into an exhibition hall where raw concrete blurs the line between inside and outside. The name itself, “Inside Out,” reflects Ballen's artistic mission to turn the unconscious conscious and to challenge conventional ways of seeing.
In an era saturated with fleeting digital images, Ballen remains committed to creating work with lasting impact. He believes the only way to cut through the noise is through relentless dedication.
“Becoming an artist is like becoming an athlete—you must train constantly,” he advised. “Style cannot be copied or forced; it comes from years of work, from going deeper into your own vision and trusting your instincts.”