Roger Ballen

(American, born 1950)

Roger Ballen is an American photographer whose dark, eerie images of the South African social landscape have captured international attention. Often focusing on the downtrodden and underprivileged residents of rural Afrikaner villages, his work features abrupt juxtapositions between people and their environment in stark, black-and-white compositions. His practice is often described as painterly, and he has cited Joan Miró as an influence. “When somebody looks at something as wire-ly as, say, a Miró painting, this issue is never ‘what is this about?’ It’s just seen as an abstract line,” Ballen has remarked. “In photography, since the basis of photography is ‘capturing reality,’ people always want to know what the meaning of the wires is. In painting, you don’t ask that question.” Born in 1950 in New York, NY, Ballen studied psychology at the University of California Berkeley until, prompted by his mother's early death, he set off on extensive world travel in 1973. After receiving a PhD from the Colorado School of Mines, Ballen moved to Johannesburg in 1982, where he has lived and worked ever since. He is the recipient of such awards as the Citigroup Prize in 2002, and his work can be found among the collections of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Galería la Aurora in Murcia, among others.

Roger Ballen Artworks

Roger Ballen (366 results)
Broken bag, 2003

Roger Ballen

Broken bag, 2003

Sale Date: October 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Birdwoman 2003 (Shadow Chamber Series), 2003

Roger Ballen

Birdwoman 2003 (Shadow Chamber Series), 2003

Sale Date: October 12, 2022

Auction Closed

Les Hammering into Wall, 2000

Roger Ballen

Les Hammering into Wall, 2000

Sale Date: September 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Courtyard View, 2001

Roger Ballen

Courtyard View, 2001

Sale Date: September 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Birdwoman 2003 (Shadow Chamber Series)

Roger Ballen

Birdwoman 2003 (Shadow Chamber Series)

Sale Date: August 18, 2022

Auction Closed

Prick

Roger Ballen

Prick

Sale Date: July 25, 2022

Auction Closed

Façade, 1984

Roger Ballen

Façade, 1984

Sale Date: July 30, 2022

Auction Closed

Woman Sitting in Front of Bamboo Fence, 1996

Roger Ballen

Woman Sitting in Front of Bamboo Fence, 1996

Sale Date: June 8, 2022

Auction Closed

Ratman, 2000

Roger Ballen

Ratman, 2000

Sale Date: May 31, 2022

Auction Closed

Hideaway, 2003, 2003

Roger Ballen

Hideaway, 2003, 2003

Sale Date: June 23, 2022

Auction Closed

Partytime, 1998

Roger Ballen

Partytime, 1998

Sale Date: May 24, 2022

Auction Closed

Woman Sitting in Front of Bamboo Fence, 1996

Roger Ballen

Woman Sitting in Front of Bamboo Fence, 1996

Sale Date: May 24, 2022

Auction Closed

Dresie and Casie, Twins, Western Transvaal, 1993

Roger Ballen

Dresie and Casie, Twins, Western Transvaal, 1993

Sale Date: May 25, 2022

Auction Closed

Security Guard and Puppy on Staircase, Gauteng, 1996

Roger Ballen

Security Guard and Puppy on Staircase, Gauteng, 1996

Sale Date: May 25, 2022

Auction Closed

Kitchen Counter, 2001

Roger Ballen

Kitchen Counter, 2001

Sale Date: May 24, 2022

Auction Closed

Portrait of a Man with His Dog, 2022

Roger Ballen

Portrait of a Man with His Dog, 2022

Sale Date: May 11, 2022

Auction Closed

Room of the Ninja Turtles, 2003

Roger Ballen

Room of the Ninja Turtles, 2003

Sale Date: April 26, 2022

Auction Closed

Ascension, 2013, Asylum of the Birds Series, 2016

Roger Ballen

Ascension, 2013, Asylum of the Birds Series, 2016

Sale Date: April 25, 2022

Auction Closed

Embalmed, 2016

Roger Ballen

Embalmed, 2016

Sale Date: April 25, 2022

Auction Closed

Ratman, 2000

Roger Ballen

Ratman, 2000

Sale Date: April 19, 2022

Auction Closed

Kitchen Counter, 2001

Roger Ballen

Kitchen Counter, 2001

Sale Date: April 19, 2022

Auction Closed

Guardian, 2001

Roger Ballen

Guardian, 2001

Sale Date: April 19, 2022

Auction Closed

Selected Images, 1995–2000

Roger Ballen

Selected Images, 1995–2000

Sale Date: April 13, 2022

Auction Closed

Dresie and Casie, Twins, Western Transvaal, 1993

Roger Ballen

Dresie and Casie, Twins, Western Transvaal, 1993

Sale Date: April 7, 2022

Auction Closed