Half and Half
Artist
Roger Ballen(American, active South Africa, born 1950)American, active South Africa, born 1950
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Half and Half
- from the series The Theater of Apparitions
Date2012, printed 2020
MediumInkjet print
DimensionsImage: 19 13/16 × 14 3/16 in. (50.4 × 36 cm)
Sheet: 24 × 16 15/16 in. (61 × 43 cm)
Sheet: 24 × 16 15/16 in. (61 × 43 cm)
Credit LineGift of an anonymous donor
Object number2020.548
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographyObject Type
Roger Ballen’s inventive photographs rely on drawing and sculpture to create new worlds. Inspired by the sight of hand-drawn carvings on blacked-out windows in an abandoned women’s prison, Ballen started to experiment with using different spray paints on glass and then “drawing on” or removing the paint with a sharp object to let natural light through. The results, which resemble prehistoric cave-paintings, are reflective of Ballen’s thoughts and emotions. Earthly and otherworldly, physical and spiritual, his work transcends all traditional concepts of photography.
ProvenancePrivate collection; given to MFAH, 2020.
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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