ROGER BALLEN / & THEN THERE IS EVERYTHING ELSE [WITH INTERVIEW BY RAINA LAMPKINS-FIELDER]

RAINA LAMPKINS-FIELDER / BIRDS RECUR OFTEN ON YOUR WORK. NOT JUST LIVE BIRDS BUT ALSO DEAD OR TAXIDERMISED BIRDS, WOODEN BIRDS, DRAWINGS OF BIRDS. EVEN SOME OF THE HANGERS IN YOUR IMAGES RESEMBLE BIRDS. IN TERMS OF YOUR NEW SERIES, THERE'S A SHIFT AWAY FROM THE EXPLICIT VISUALISATION OF THE HUMAN FORM IN CONVERSATION WITH THE ANIMAL TO A FOCUS ON THE ANIMAL AS THE MAIN PHOTOGRAPHIC SUBJECT. WHY THIS SHIFT? & WHY YOUR CHOICE OF BIRDS BECAUSE YOU HAVE OTHER ANIMALS IN YOUR WORK AS WELL?

[...ROGER BALLEN / I THINK THE LACK OF HUMAN PRESENCE IN MANY OF THE PICTURES HAVE BEEN AN ON-GOING TREND SINCE ABOUT 2003. WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT THE PICTURES, USUALLY THE FOCUS IS 'WHO ARE THE PEOPLE THERE?', 'WHAT DO THE PEOPLE DO?', 'WHAT DO THE PEOPLE THINK ABOUT YOUR PICTURES?' I'VE OFTEN SAID THERE ARE MORE ANIMALS IN THESE PHOTOGRAPHS THAN PEOPLE & I'M SURPRISED THEY HAVEN'T NOTICED THE ANIMALS & ASK, 'WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THESE ANIMALS HEADS & WHAT DO THEY MEAN?', 'WHO ARE THESE ANIMALS?' WHY DOESN'T THE VIEWER THINK ABOUT THESE A LITTLE MORE? IT'S ACTUALLY A PROBLEM IN MY PHOTOGRAPHY & ONE OF THE REASONS I THINK, BOTH CONSCIOUSLY & SUBCONSCIOUSLY, I'M MOVED IN THAT DIRECTION IS BECAUSE FOR ME, OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS IN MY PICTURES OTHER THAN THE STRONG PRESENCE OF CERTAIN HUMAN BEINGS.

[...]

BUT BACK TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT 'WHY BIRDS'? IT'S A HARD QUESTION BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER ANIMALS IN MY PICTURES. YOU COULD ASK, 'WHY DRAWINGS? WHY THIS TYPE OF REALITY? WHY DO THINGS LOOK A BIT UNSETTLED?' ADMITTEDLY, ONE GETS OBSESSED WITH & FINDS MEANING IN CERTAIN THINGS & FINDS THAT THE RELATIONSHIPS ONE IS CREATING TO MAKE THE PHOTOGRAPHS CHALLENGING & MEANINGFUL TO ONESELF MEANS YOU EXPAND YOUR OWN SENSE OF BEING & INNER ENVIRONMENT.
UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF, UNDERSTANDING YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO YOUR WORK & WORKING WITH BIRDS HAS CONTRIBUTED TO ALL THESE THINGS. I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO ANSWER IT IN ANY OTHER WAY. MY PICTURES DONT REALLY HAVE SINGULAR MEANINGS IN THEM, THEY'RE QUITE VISUAL & QUITE CONTRADICTORY & I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT PICTURES MEAN. THE BEST PICTURES FOR ME ARE THE ONES I DON'T UNDERSTAND & I THINK IF I DON'T UNDERSTAND TOO MANY THINGS IN THE PICTURE THEN I'VE ACTUALLY SUCCEEDED FOR MYSELF AS A PHOTOGRAPHER. THE MEANINGS ARE MULTIPLE & YOU CAN'T PINPOINT WHAT THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE IMAGE ARE ALL ABOUT.

[...]

IN PHOTOGRAPHY PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS OBSESSED WITH THE WORD 'REALITY', AS IF THESE PLACES ARE REAL. THAT'S THE MOST COMMON QUESTION PEOPLE ASK ME, 'IS THIS PLACE REAL OR NOT'? I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE WORD MEANS. THERE ARE PEOPLE, A LOT SMARTER THAN ME, THAT HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE THIS OUT FOR THE LAST FEW THOUSAND YEARS & HAVE GOTTEN NOWHERE. THERE'S REAL & THERE'S EVERYTHING ELSE. WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT IS A PHOTOGRAPHIC REALITY...]


/ EXCERPT FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH ROGER BALLEN BY RAINA LAMPKINS-FIELDER













/ ALL IMAGES COURTESY ROGER BALLEN, GAGOSIAN GALLERY [NEW YORK], & KAMEL MENNOUR GALLERY [PARIS]

ENTIRE ARTICLE ONLY IN THE PRINTED EDITION OF SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE CHAPTER004