On graduation day, his parents give him a camera, a Nikon Ftn. Before earning his PhD in Geology at the Colorado School of Mines, he studied psychology at Berkeley, the University of California, where he began to create and deepen his relationship with the psyche, getting closer to the thought of Carl Jung, but relating more to the psychiatrist Scottish RDLaing, who carried forward his concept of the politics of experience in which he criticizes the idea of normality of modern society and states that madness is a concept that threatens the collective normality of Western society. Getting in touch with your insane side is actually a way of getting in touch with your creative side.
Always interested in the figure of the outsider, of those who are outside, removed from the defined boundaries of "normality", Ballen reflects himself in the definition, not identifying himself with the culture that shapes him.
Therefore Ballen's interest focuses on the search for poor, marginalized people, many of whom are disabled or mentally ill.
His career is accompanied by several publications and worldwide recognition.
On 6 September 2019 the Halle Saint Pierre in Paris hosts the highly successful exhibition The World According to Roger Ballen which will then be re-presented in some of the largest international museums such as the JAkopic Gallery in Ljubljana, and the Kunstmuseum Den Haag.
In September 2017, Thames & Hudson publishes Ballenesque Roger Ballen: A retrospective, a volume that contains the artist's photographic work. The term Ballenesque was coined precisely to represent and explain Roger's unique and singular aesthetic.
Roger Ballen has published more than 25 books on an international scale. His work is part of the collection of more than 50 of the most important international museums.
Roger Ballen is one of the artists who will represent the South African pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale.
