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Senigallia città della fotografia [Senigallia City of Photography] presents the solo exhibition of the photographer Roger Ballen, The Place of the Upside Down curated by Massimo Minini, in the double locations of Palazzo del Duca and Palazzetto Baviera, promoted by the Marche Region, the Municipality of Senigallia in collaboration with Massimo Minini Gallery and the Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Jesi
Senigallia città della fotografia [Senigallia City of Photography] presents the solo exhibition of the photographer Roger Ballen, The Place of the Upside Down curated by Massimo Minini, in the double locations of Palazzo del Duca and Palazzetto Baviera, promoted by the Marche Region, the Municipality of Senigallia in collaboration with Massimo Minini Gallery and the Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Jesi.
The exhibition is produced by the City of Senigallia as part of the Senigallia Città della Fotografia project which stands out for the realisation of high-level original exhibitions, all dedicated to photographic art. In particular, the Ballen exhibition is the only that will take place this year in Italy in a public location, in addition to his participation in the LIX Biennale in Venice for which he was called to represent South Africa in its national pavilion.
The Senigallia exhibition presents at Palazzo del Duca works from Massimo Minini’s collection, one of the Italian most famous gallerists who most represents Italy in the world: over sixty black and white shots representing Ballen’s career are exhibited, as part of his most famous series such as Outland (2000), Shadow Chamber (2005), Boarding House (2009) and Asylum of the Birds (2014). At Palazzetto Baviera, the exhibition continue with a selection of 12 color shots never seen in Italy, which comes from the artist’s personal collection, that marks a new phase of technical experimentation in his practise.
Roger Ballen is one of the most original and influent photographers of the 20th and 21st century, born in New York but active for over forty years in South Africa. His works are strange, bizarre, extreme, at times absurd and dreamlike; they describe unlikely, yet perfectly real, places and situations just as happens when you dream. These works investigate the human condition and the depths of the subconscious, inviting the viewer to ask himself questions about what he is looking at and consequently to ask questions about himself as well. The images created by Ballen are characterized by a perfectly recognizable visual style, to the point that a neologism, Ballenesque, has been coined to define a mysterious, chaotic, sometimes dark atmosphere that resides in his works. Over the years the artist’s style has evolved in search of new creative possibilities, he has experimented different visual languages where photography interacts with drawing, painting, collage and sculpture, giving life to a new hybrid aesthetic that has made him famous all over the world.
In recent years Ballen approached color photography for the first time after working exclusively in black and white for more than fifty years, and the Senigallia exhibition, with Palazzetto Baviera section, represents a unique opportunity for Italian public to see these works in person for the first time.
“Having Roger Ballen in Senigallia in the same year in which he represents South Africa at the LIX Biennale in Venice is an element of prestige, which once again confirms the value of Senigallia Città della Fotografia inside the national artistic panorama.” – says the Mayor of the city Massimo Olivetti – “We are therefore honored to host the exhibition in the rooms of Palazzo del Duca and Palazzetto Baviera that in recent years have welcomed works by famous photographers in the international art scene with creations that are always original and devoted to research and to the diffusion of photographic culture. ”
“The Marche Region welcomes an illustrious name. We are proud to host Roger Ballen in our Region: fascinating, one of a kind, one of the most influential and important photographers of the twenty-first century. We believe in the power of culture, we believe in the power of art. The Regional contribution to the Ballen exhibition goes in this direction. The event will give strength to the visibility of our territory beyond our borders and will contribute in a concrete way to the promotion of the Marche Region in the world”, says the regional Councilor for Culture, Giorgia Latini.
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