Roger Ballen, Fact or Fiction (signed)

Reality or fiction, fact or fabrication... What happens when Roger Ballen takes a photograph? Does the world come to him or rather does his eye shape, sculpt and knead the world to disclose its terrible splendours and reveal its depths? As much a sculptor as he is a photographer, architect in his own way, Ballen does nothing more than accentuate reality but oh so powerfully. For his images are more than individual pictures, they are true pieces of installation art. Micro-theatres that set the stage for what is a truly distinctive tragedy. So distinctive that it becomes universal. Because it is directed, staged and put into perspective by Roger Ballen with all the precision of an entomologist. We've gone beyond mere photography to the crossroads of photography, painting and sculpture. Dare we say: Roger Ballen is no longer a photographer. He has become an all-round artist.