Roger Ballen Brings 'Asylum of the Birds' to Milan's FuturDome

Roger Ballen, born in New York in 1950 and based in Johannesburg for thirty years, presents eleven photographs from his series 'Asylum of the Birds' at Le Dictateur's new space inside FuturDome in Milan. The images, all from 2014, were shot at a building called the Asylum in Johannesburg. Each photograph features at least one bird, symbolizing paradise and purity, set within a psychological world. Ballen, who holds a PhD in geology, began photographing birds in 1997-1998. He works with both analog and digital cameras, recently using a Leica mirrorless for color shots. The exhibition was selected by Federico Pepe, founder of Le Dictateur, following a previous show at Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Ballen describes his work as 'mirrors' reflecting the self, aiming to provoke subconscious reactions rather than political commentary. He believes art should focus on poetry, philosophy, and psychology. The artist will return to Milan in mid-November 2018 for another exhibition at 10 Corso Como – Galleria Carla Sozzani.