Reflex is proud to announce its fourth solo show with Roger Ballen ‘Ballenesque in Color’, which includes a series of Polaroids and a selection of unseen photographs in color. The photographs exquisitely demonstrate his signature absurd compositions, all meticulously orchestrated to uncanny perfection. The works truly escape any other definition than “Ballenesque.”

“My work takes you to the other side of your mind”– Roger Ballen, 2021

Ballen is notorious for his black and white photographs of intriguing setups, described as psychologically haunting and visually puzzling. Following the artist’s first polaroid exhibition at the gallery, he has delved into color photography. This new exciting body of work will premier at Reflex gallery. Alongside the larger photographs, the polaroids add another layer to the intrigue. Shot with Fujifilm’s Instax series, the medium of the polaroids intensifies the experience of Ballen’s bespoke world-building.

The small format of the polaroids encourages the viewers to step closer and scrutinise them carefully. While Ballen’s larger works might be viewed as carefully planned, the polaroids are spontaneous, raw and of-the-moment. The snapshot-like quality of the images parallel their unpredictability – not even Ballen knows exactly what they will look like after the flash has gone off. Together in the exhibition, the polaroids function as an exciting labyrinth of dark humor, ridiculousness, and abstract connections. Depending on the route the viewer’s eyes take across the works, a surprise awaits them at every corner.

Opening, Book & museum show:

The show opens Saturday November 6th in conjunction with the release of the gallery’s second publication on Ballen’s Polaroids, Roger Ballen Polaroids Volume 2. It features a selection of 150 unique polaroids all shot in the last two years, most of which are exhibited in the show. With this publication and exhibition, Reflex Amsterdam is excited to announce that it is the exclusive distributor of Roger Ballen’s polaroids.

In the exhibition The World According to Roger Ballen, at Fotomuseum Den Haag, the visitor also becomes part of his world. The artist has created a gesamtkunstwerk in which installations, videos and drawings form a hallucinatory alliance with his photography of the past fifty years, transforming Fotomuseum Den Haag into a true ‘Ballenesque’ theatre. The exhibition can be visited until March 6th 2022.

Photo credits announcement: Polaroid/Fuji Instax Film, 8,6 x 10,8 cm – Unique Piece – Shot in period 2018-2021 © Roger Ballen