About The Book
Throughout his career, Roger Ballen has pursued a singular artistic goal: to give expression to the human psyche—to explore, visually, the hidden forces that shape who we are. This retrospective monograph, published in association with a major exhibition at the Halle Saint Pierre, Paris, provides a unique overview of the life and work of one of the most distinctive art photographers practising today.
The World According to Roger Ballen, co-authored with Colin Rhodes, looks at Ballen’s career in the wider cultural context beyond photography, including his connections with and collections of Art Brut. It features photographs selected from across Ballen’s career, along with installations created exclusively for the exhibition at Halle Saint Pierre and photographs of objects and works from Ballen’s own collection of Art Brut.
Organised thematically, with texts by Colin Rhodes and an introduction and interview with Ballen by Martine Lusardy (the Director of the Halle Saint Pierre), The World According to Roger Ballen is both an accompanying publication to the first, major exhibition of Ballen’s work in France and an exploration of Ballen’s positioning within and connections to the wider context of modern and contemporary art.
From left to right: Roger in the family room (2014); Roger drawing 1 (2018); Roger's Roger (2019).