The Theatre of Apparitions - Hardcover

Roger Ballen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0500544646 ISBN 13: 9780500544648

Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2016

Synopsis

The Theatre of Apparitions is a highly anticipated body of work by one of the most original image-makers of our times, whose remarkable artistic trajectory spans the past 40 years. This book is the culmination of his ongoing study of the connections between photography, drawing, the mind and the body. Created between the years 2004 and 2008, these 90-odd black-and-white images encourage viewers to delve deep into the darkest part of their psyches.
The images in this new monograph were inspired by the simple act of drawing on windows – a practice that Ballen observed first-hand in many communities. From there, he started to experiment using different spray paints on glass and then ‘drawing on’ or removing the paint with a sharp object to let natural light through. Finally, he photographed the results with a macro lens using black-and-white film. These black, dimensionless spaces effectively operate as canvases onto which Ballen projects pictorially his thoughts and emotions, creating, in effect, a theatre of the mind. The plates are separated into seven chapters or ‘acts’, with each one introduced by a text written by Ballen himself. Carving out a realm that is both earthly and otherworldly, physical and spiritual, his work transcends all traditional concepts of photography.

Table of Contents

Introduction • Plates split into seven chapters or ‘Acts’ (each with an introduction by Roger Ballen) • Afterword by Roger Ballen (on how the photographs were created) • List of Works • Biography

About this title

About the Author

Roger Ballen is one of the most important and distinctive art photographers working today. His previous books with Thames & Hudson include Asylum of the Birds, The Theatre of Apparitions and Ballenesque.

From the Back Cover

The Theatre of Apparitions is a highly anticipated body of work by one of the most original image-makers of our times, whose remarkable artistic trajectory spans the past 40 years. This book is the culmination of his ongoing study of the connections between photography, drawing, the mind and the body. Created between the years 2004 and 2008, these 90-odd black-and-white images encourage viewers to delve deep into the darkest part of their psyches.
The images in this new monograph were inspired by the simple act of drawing on windows – a practice that Ballen observed first-hand in many communities. From there, he started to experiment using different spray paints on glass and then ‘drawing on’ or removing the paint with a sharp object to let natural light through. Finally, he photographed the results with a macro lens using black-and-white film. These black, dimensionless spaces effectively operate as canvases onto which Ballen projects pictorially his thoughts and emotions, creating, in effect, a theatre of the mind. The plates are separated into seven chapters or ‘acts’, with each one introduced by a text written by Ballen himself. Carving out a realm that is both earthly and otherworldly, physical and spiritual, his work transcends all traditional concepts of photography.

Edition details

• Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0500544646
• ISBN 13: 9780500544648
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192