Roger Ballen's 'The Body, the Mind, the Space' at Galleria Carla Sozzani in Milan

Roger Ballen's exhibition 'The Body, the Mind, the Space' opened at Galleria Carla Sozzani in Milan, showcasing over forty years of his work. The show is divided into five sections, including 'The Mind' (2005–2013/14) featuring drawings on window glass, and 'The Space' with recent series like 'Shadow Chamber' and 'Asylum of the birds'. Ballen, born in New York in 1950 and living in South Africa since the 1970s, describes his aesthetic as 'Ballenesque', a blend of Art Brut and Surrealism. He notes that his photographs contain archetypal symbols that provoke subconscious responses. The exhibition includes an installation of an old woman in a chair, reminiscent of 'Psycho' or 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'. Ballen's work evolved in 1997 from traditional portraiture to staged scenes in a minimalist world, exemplified by 'Cat Catcher' (1998). He emphasizes that his images are not about cruelty but about the psyche, transforming reality into multidimensional aesthetics. All photos were taken in Johannesburg, except one with a boy and a frog. The exhibition runs at the Fondazione Sozzani space.