Boarding house (2008)

Boarding House features a new collection of photographs from Roger Ballen and follows on the critical success of Outland and Shadow Chamber. Like his previous work, Boarding House shows an imaginary space of transient residence, of coming and goings, of people without homes, sheltering in an abode that they are using for their immediate survival. The structure is basic and fundamental and it is furnished with objects that are necessarily for an elementary existence. Remnants function here as physical symbols of events that have occurred in this space; broken pieces of a functional reality exist as the leftovers of scenarios that were played out here. The altered sense of place of this temporary abode for by passers who play out there sense of alienation on the stage gives the work depth of significance as both a psychological and aesthetic statement. Having evolved from and developed out of his previous work, Boarding House differs significantly in that the work has become even more formally sophisticated and more focused on the drawing and sculptural elements of the photographs. I envision the book to followa similar trim size and simplicity as his previous titles. David Travis, the Chief Curator for the Art Institute of Chicago has expressed interest in writing the text (and also in the possibility of an exhibition). Visuals will be available at the Publisher’s meeting.