Curated by Christina Naurattel
(NWU Gallery)
North-West University (NWU) Gallery, Potchefstroom Campus
Thursday 22 March 2012 at 19h00.
Exhibition concludes 11 May 2012
Guest lecture: Roger Ballen
North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. Building F2, Room G13
Friday 23 March 2012 at 10h30.
‘Playpen’ an exhibition by Roger Ballen opens at the North-West University Gallery 22 March 2012
The Playpen exhibition is a new revealing selection of photographs by Roger Ballen from previous series’ Boyhood, Platteland, Outland, Shadow Chamber, Boarding House, images from new a new body of work, Asylum, as well as an installation especially constructed by Ballen for the exhibition at the North-West University Gallery.
In Playpen, children play an important role and Ballen has been photographing them since the 1970s. The exhibition is the first South African show to thematically explore Ballen’s images of children, toys, drawings and the spaces that surround them.
Ballen approaches the photograph more like an artist than a photographer. His work has developed from a photo-journalistic style into a unique artistic vision which is described as painterly and sculptural in ways that aren’t normally associated with the art of photography. He explores the idea of art as a form of self introspection and sees his images as a result of his imagination’s ability to transform the exterior world into a personal photographic reality. The Playpen embodies this imaginary order. The gallery space, the photographs on the walls and the installation interacts with our memories and childhood dreams.
The opening event takes place on Thursday the 22nd of March 2012, 19h00 at the North-West University Gallery, Potchefstroom Campus. Roger Ballen will also present a guest lecture on Friday the 23rd of March at 10h30. This will take place in the Graphic Design Building (building F2, Room G13) of the Potchefstroom Campus.
Roger Ballen was born in New York City in 1950 and he has lived and worked in Johannesburg, South Africa since the 1970’s. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley in 1972 and completed his PHD in Mineral Economics in 1981. He has been shooting black and white film for nearly fifty years and perceives black and white as a minimalist art form which provides an abstract way to interpret and transform what one might refer to as reality.
Ballen’s photographs have been showcased in some of the most prestigious institutions around the globe. His images have been included in collections of institutions such as the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, USA. In addition, Ballen has won many prestigious awards during his career as photographer, such as the Best Solo Exhibition at the Sani Festival in Greece in 2000, Best Photographic Book of the year at PhotoEspana in Spain 2001, Photographer of the Year at Rencontres d’ Arles in 2002, and the Art Directors Club Award Photography in 2006.
He is currently working on the publication of his next book. This series features birds in a strange, surreal environment. These complex photographs integrate drawing, theatre, painting, and sculpture and are transformed by photography in a way particular to Roger Ballen.
For exhibition and media information:
Christina Naurattel (Curator: North-West University Gallery)
[email protected]
018 299 4341
or
Elzette de Beer (Gallery Assistant)
[email protected]
North-West University Gallery, Potchefstroom Campus