Roger Ballen is considered one of the most important contemporary photographers. The exhibition we present offers a thematic cross-section of his extensive body of work, where animals often play a central role. In series such as Outland or Asylum of the Birds, animals appear as an integral part of the worlds he depicts. They live alongside humans in cramped, often decayed spaces, becoming part of the human environment and identity, blurring the boundaries between human and animal and emphasizing an existential connection.
Ballen’s psychologically intense and surreal black-and-white photographs depict animals in unusual, often unreal compositions, transporting the viewer into a dreamlike world of the unconscious. The animals symbolize chaotic states and emotional ambivalence, creating a disruption of the ordinary gaze and heightening the sense of the unknown and the threatening.
Common animals in his works, such as rats, birds, and dogs, serve as metaphors for chaos, primal instincts, and disturbing human conditions. Their unsettling presence intensifies the psychological tension and blurs the line between the human and the animal. These creatures often reflect the vulnerability or madness of the human figures, creating a profound connection to themes such as power, control, and isolation.