Roger Ballen; Boarding House

Description

Following on from the critical success of Outland and Shadow Chamber, Roger Ballen’s previous books published by Phaidon, Boarding House features a new collection of photographs from this significant photographer.

Collection of new work by signicant photographer based in South Africa.Roger Ballen (b. 1950) has lived and worked in Johannesburg, South Africa for almost 30 years. Born in New York, he worked as a geologist and mining consultant before starting his photographic career by documenting the small villages of rural South Africa and their isolated inhabitants. His images are both powerful social statements and disturbing psychological studies. Ballen’s book Outland, also published by Phaidon, was named Best Photographic book of the Year at PhotoEspaña 2001, Madrid, Spain.

David Traviswas chair of the Department of Photography at the Art Institute of Chicago until July 2008, having worked at the institute for 36 years. He curated more than 150 photography exhibitions at the institute and also guest-curated exhibitions at other American museums, including the National Gallery of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“I admit it’s unnerving, and I also admit it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who can take it, it’s wonderful. Roger Ballen’s new book is as as disorientating and disturbing as we’ve come to expect from him, exploring a subterranean world of darkness, and strange, bleak humour… We, as viewers, read our emotions into the pictures. It’s heavy stuff, but it’s great.”—Black & White Photography

“Ballen is a rarity among contemporary photographers in his preoccupation with obsessions and hallucinations. What is perhaps most uncanny is that in almost every image we can feel the clear mind and cool hand of the author… Phaidon has now released his third book, a large-format publication with a short introduction. The quality of the black-and-white reproductions is outstanding.”—FOAM

Additional information

Dimensions	0.75 × 11.375 × 12.125 in
Imprint	Phaidon Press
Format	General Trade
ISBN-13	09780714849522
ISBN-10	0714849529
Author	David Travis, Roger Ballen
Audience	General / adult