Roger Ballen

American photographer Roger Ballen has been living and photographing in South Africa since the late 1970s. His photographs have caused international controversy and debate ever since his book, "Platteland", was published in the 1990s. "Platteland" was filled with raw, direct, disturbing photographs of poor white people in South Africa whose lives had been marginalized by the Apartheid government.



Since that "bombshell" of a photobook hit the scene, Ballen's work has slowly evolved to become much more abstract and introspective (but no less disturbing). His education in psychology, and his background as a working geologist, have informed his work as much as his early childhood exposure to the work of the great Magnum photographers.

Via lens culture


Roger Ballen www.rogerballen.com