‘Approximately four years ago, I found an old house in Johannesburg, South Africa. This place has become the focus of my photography for the past few years since the completion of my book Boarding House in 2008. Inside this house live a motley bunch of people from various spectrums of South African society. Living along with these people are large numbers of wild birds that inhabit this space and exist alongside the inhabitants. The birds are not in cages and have the freedom to move throughout the place. Most rooms in this house are quite barren and the inhabitants have taken to drawing figures and faces on the walls. Besides the birds, the place is full of rats, mice, cats, chickens, ducks, rabbits, etc. The Asylum is ultimately a place in which reality blurs with fantasy. Objects, drawings and spaces interact to create multiple meanings very few which we can find words for.

I have specifically chosen the word Asylum as the title to the proposed book as it has contradictory meanings. On one hand it represents a place of refuge and safety, and on the other hand a place of insanity.’

During 2012 Roger Ballen will have one man exhibitions at the following Museums:

• Manchester Art  Gallery, England
• Marta Herford Museum, Herford, Germany
• Northwest University Museum, Potchefstroom, South Africa
• Novosibirsk Art Museum, Russia
• Kunsthalle, Vienna, Austria
• Musee de l Elysee, Lausanne Switzerland
• Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janiero, Brazil
• Rosphoto, St. Peterburg, Russia
• Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel

In the month of January Roger Ballen has completed two films. The first one, sponsored by the Dutch film Fund documents aspects of the Asylum using a narrative format, the second is a music video on the South African band Die Antwoord who has integrated his visual symbolism into their presentation. The New York Times documented the photo shoot and published the article ‘Johannesburgs most wanted‘. The video, ‘I Fink U Freeky’ has had over 600.000 hits in two days on YouTube.

The exhibition lasts until 25th of March, and  presents a selection of about twenty photographs from his 20-year career. Here, there, and everywhere, from the revealing darkness of the studio to the vast open spaces of Africa and the villages of Mexico, he teases out the threads of an obsession for man devoid of all artifice, for the dark, deformed flesh of desire and for anxious or sunny childhood. Today, after over 20 years working in black and white, William Ropp has produced colour portraits where both the pose and the technique are inspired by classical painting.

The book ‘Faces’ published by Les éditions de l’oeil comprising Ropp´s most recent color work was launched in conjunction with the exhibition at MEP, and we are proud to present a selection of the portraits together with the incredible foreword ‘The Morning of Childhood’ by Mr Arno Minkkinen … enjoy…

The exhibition is produced jointly by the Charleroi Museum of Photography with support from the ellen-k Fine Art Photography, Oslo. (Text derived from MEP)

‘If you are in Oslo this summer,  the provocative exhibition /HIGHSPEED INSANiTY/ at Blomqvist is a must!’ (Lars Eivind Bones in Magasinet, Dagbladet).

Roger BALLEN / Martin DENKER /  Sally MANN /  Vik MUNIZ  /  Andres SERRANO and

Joel Peter WITKIN

[[Show as slideshow]]

ASYLUM BY ROGER BALLEN

The exhibition /HIGH SPEED INSANITY/ presents six independent artists.  Their common denominator is their ability to deconstruct in order to construct, where photography is used as the form of artistic expression.

They all use recognizable references from the arts. In Witkin´s work one sees the older masters such as Botticelli, Possein and Courbet, in adjacent to the influence of Francisco Goya and Edvard Munch. The latter artists are also easily recognizable in Serrano´s provocation of religion.  In Denker’s work one traces the influence that the collage artists have of the 20’s & 30’s such as Juan Miro, Max Ernst and later Ernst Schwitters. Roger Ballen´s world of the subconscious is often compared to Man Ray´s sense of form, revealing Ballen´s interest in Jean Dubuffet´s ‘Art Brut’. Even the classic sculptors such as Henry Moore and David Smith are prevalent in the exceptional works by Vic Muniz. In contrast, poetry and 19^th century photographers such as Julia Margareth Cameron and Eugene Atget have been Sally Mann´s source of inspiration in capturing the sensual innocence.

The artists investigate their environment and offer the viewer the option to individual interpretation. The intention of the exhibition is to gather a collection of artwork to challenge our illusions in order to fuel a debate.

“…Maybe these photographs can help us navigate through the obstacles of life? There are a lot of good opportunities in sound provocation. Good art raises questions, tears down borders and questions our ability to see and understand. It makes us reconsider our values and approach to life and other people. As long as it is not based on violence or abuse most things may be considered human. As Terentius, a roman playwright living from 190-159 BC, said: «I am a human being, so nothing human is strange to me.»”//excerpt from the catalogue text by Lars Elton 

The title /HIGH SPEED INSANITY/ is a Martin Denker quote, and the exhibition is a result of a collaboration between PUG, the collector Jack Helgesen and Blomqvist Fine Art.

PUG opens the exhibition ‘HIGH SPEED INSANITY’ at Blomqvist Auction House, June 15th at 6 PM. A full day seminar ‘Who holds the power to Collect’ will take place at Fotogalleriet and at Blomqvist on June 22nd.

PUG [Pop Up Gallery] is run by Ellen-K Syverstad & Anette Skuggedal, facilitating exhibitions & events where photography is the main form of artistic expression.

More information will follow… enjoy…

Also Mr Christensen has, for the first time in his long artistic career, operated a camera himself. The results have been presented at a couple of venues in Norway  already, and we are pleased to post them here aswell. We present a landscape image that slowly transforms into a portrait of a chinese child. Finally the “Naxi musicians” – a collage consisting of portraits of 8 traditional musicians in China, mounted so they surround an image of the highway leading in to Beijing. The fog in the mountains of Li Jang and Beijing ties the motifs together in a fragile filter, in which the opposites are tied together in one unit.

‘What the camera sees at the moment of exposure is what I try to envision in my mind. Therein lies the magic of photography for me. It’s why it is always Christmas in my darkroom.’ Arno Rafael Minkkinen.

Free admission – reserve you chair by clicking HERE.

Enjoy…

(click on invitation to enlarge)

I am back in Norway, and it’s time to sort my impressions from the worlds leading event for photography, Paris Photo. Beneath the prestigious Louvre Pyramid, a 3.000 m2 showcase with 120 exhibitors, galleries, publishers and magazines from 25 different nationalities was visited by more than 40.000 people this weekend. Paris Photo is  the place to explore and indulge into the wonderful world of fine art photography. Paris is also an amazing city if you want to meet up with good old friends,  to make some new ones, and generally to have a great time. This is my personal notebook and I would love to share with you.

Two of the exhibits mentioned in this note are still on in Paris if you plan on going… enjoy…

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It is a delight to observe that Roger Ballens work was represented by 5 different galleries at Paris Photo this year. In addition he currently has shows at the following venues around the world; The South African National Gallery, Cape Town, Photography.ru gallery in Russia, Jackson Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta, and München Statsmuseum in Germany.  Last, but not least, Mr Ballens retrospective show at Stenersen Museum in Oslo, Norway, until January 23rd, 2011, please contact me for more details.

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The theme for the Prix BMW was ’Electric Vision’, and this years winner was the Hungarian contemporary artist Gábor Ösz, represented by Galerie Loevenbruck, Paris. The exhibited image; Permanent Daylight 12.01.2004-16.1.2004 is a poetic capture of light, created in a caravan which the artist turned into a camera obscura and parked next to a cluster of agricultural greenhouses. The image was made over four successive nights during which the light emanating from these strange, almost unearthly structures slowly reacted with the photosensitive material.

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One of my personal favorites for the BMW Price was the french artist Jean-Christian Bourcart, represented by VU’ la Galerie in Paris. Bourcart is based in New York and in his body of work, Stardust, he plays with layers of meaning, exploring what constitutes an image: a significant surface that provides space for interpretation. Going to the cinema early in the morning and looking for empty theatres, Bourcart photographed the small window that separates the projection room from the public space. The resulting images produced by the beam of light partially stopped by the glass vary in form and clarity, but none resemble the crisp, colossal movie stars that appear on the big screen.

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VU’  la Galerie has moved into a new space in Paris, and their opening show, ‘Half Life’ is by Michael Ackerman. The space is truly amazing, and it conveys Mr Ackermans darkly toned black and white images perfectly. The portraits and landscapes emerge from deep blacks and light are surreal and only the artist knows the secrets behind them. They reveal a mental universe that only borrows from reality. In Ackermans work we discover mixed feelings of tenderness, love, loneliness and anxiety, but also questions and obsessions, forcing us to take part. The exhibit lasts till the 11th of December.

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Another interesting artist exhibiting in Paris is Michael Wolf (born in 1954 in Munich)at La Galerie Particulière. The gallery presents 2 bodies of work, Tokyo Compression and Paris Street View, met in a solo exhibition entitled ‘We are watching you’. More info will follow.

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The curiosity over accidentally captured human situations grew, and Michael Wolf started to work with the immense image archive of Google Street Views. With great precision, he isolates scenes from the streets of Paris. By framing and directing our gaze, Michael Wolf helps us discover the small details. The images capture both the humor, beauty and absurdity of daily life but also raises questions of the constant surveillance in the public spaces. Mr Wolf is shortlisted for the Prix Pictet.

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Another interesting artist who is shortlisted for the Prix Pictet is the french artist Stéphane Coturier, who with the body of work called “Melting Point” changed his visual approach in 2005.’The technical and visual protocols put into play obey visual and deliberate conceptual orientation — to divert the documentary aspect of photography, to shift and transcend its narrative dimension, to question its reputation as beholder of truth. Enjoy his artist statement  at Prix Pictet.

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Traditionally the Nordic countries have been sadly unrepresented at Paris Photo, both in terms of galleries, but also in terms of artists. Here is a quick look at a few of the Nordic artists attending this years Paris Photo.

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Arno Minkinnen is based in America, and born in Finland. He was represented by 3 of the galleries attending Paris Photo, This self portrait is made one floor below Alfred Stieglitz & Georgia O´Keeffes flat in New York.

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A K Dolven is a Norwegian artist based in London and Lofoten – represented at Paris Photo by Galeri Andhava in Helsinki. On her web site we find the following statement:

A K Dolven’s work presents us with scenes of everyday life. She creates a staged ordinariness that shows us that nothing in life is ordinary: an old lady gets into bed in a girl’s room to the sound of contemporary pop, a young man feeds another young man at a family meal. The people are not actors, but friends, family and neighbours.

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Rune Guneriussen is a young Norwegian artist (represented by la galerie MelanieRio) who photographs various products and pieces of  furniture in nature. The various shots feature lamps, chairs and telephones enacting scenes that are reminiscent of animals, other wildlife and even humans. The objects take on characteristics that wouldn’t normally be associated with them because of their juxtaposition to nature.

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Trine Søndergaard and Nicolay Howalt are both represented by the Danish gallery Martin Asbæck. Together they have created ‘How to Hunt’ which I believe also was presented at Paris Photo last year. In addition Trine Søndergaards recent body of work, ‘Strude’ was exhibited by both Silverstein Gallery of New York and Martin Asbæck.

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Christian Houge was  busy at the LensCulture Fotofest in Paris – presenting his latest body of work, ‘Okurimono‘ to portfolio reviewers from all over the world. The first part of the project focuses on Japanese sub-culture, the Harajuku and their own search for a unique expression. Where dissonance between object and Man, in architecture and nature, is a recurring theme.’Okurimono’ was first presented at 7th LANE this summer, and Mr Houge received very promising feedback in Paris, which hopefully will result in some exiting opportunities abroad in the time to come.

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Also the newcomer Off Print book fair seemed to be a hugh success, with lots of people attending and a good buzz – Off Print was initiated by Yannick Bouillis, in reaction to the lack of meeting places for the diversity of practices in the field of photography, a project space for contemporary photography and a book fair for independant publishers.

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William Ropp celebrated his 50-th birthday in Paris this weekend, surrounded with great friends

- congratulations, Monsieur Ropp!

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.. did I mention; The best thing about Paris Photo – is when you you are done indulging in the wonderful world of photography – and can enjoy encounters with amazing and generous people who are as delightfully obsessed by photography as yourself…

a LINK to the official pressrelease – Paris Photo

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