ROGER BALLEN

Roger Ballen, an American photographer that  has been shooting black and white film for nearly fifty years now. Ballen believes that Black and White is a very minimalist art form and unlike color photographs does not pretend to mimic the world in a manner similar to the way the human eye might perceive. Black and White is essentially an abstract way to interpret and transform what one might refer to as reality he says.

"My purpose in taking photographs over the past forty years has ultimately been about defining myself. It has been fundamentally a psychological and existential journey."

"If an artist is one who spends his life trying to define his being, I guess I would have to call myself an artist."

- Roger Ballen

 

 

 

 

The Women and Society Trough MAÏMOUNA GUERRESI

Perspective on the relationship between women and society, with particular reference to those countries in which the role of women is most marginalized. For over twenty years Guerresi’s work has been about empowering women and bringing together individuals and cultures in an appreciation for a context of shared humanity, beyond borders – psychological, cultural, and political. She uses recurrent metaphors such as milk, light, the hijab, trees, and contrasting white on black to create awareness of the vital unifying qualities of the feminine archetype and its special healing potential. Guerresi’s art is uniquely authentic. Her work is inspired by personal experience and cultural contexts that reference universal myths, the sacred realm, and the female condition, all of which are seen as vital expressions of the human form: an essentially spiritual and mystic body. Through photographs and videos of silent, austere, veiled women in domestic scenes and individual poses, her work functions as both metaphor and provocation.

Some of the amazing works of MAÏMOUNA GUERRESI:

HOME FOR THE DISEMBODIED

Mary Tuma’s “Homes for the Disembodied”
One of her well renowned projects was Homes for the Disembodied in 2000. While living in Jerusalem, Tuma created a sequence of 5 black dresses all connected by a single 50 yards of black silk, folded across 24 feet of ground. Draped from the ceiling to the floor, hanging from the shoulders and neck on a wire, their phantasmal appearance offers an homage to loss and belonging. 

The loitering displacement of values to her affiliation of identity was maybe one of her most genuine applications to her personal and social integration. It was first shown at Al Wasiti Art Gallery in East Jerusalem, and gained international applause when exhibited through the Station Museum’s then touring exhibition “Made in Palestine” in Houston TX, 2003.

Homes for the Disembodied, 50 continuous yards of silk, 2000 

“I made this piece in response to the Israeli laws denying entry to Jerusalem by Palestinians who had been uprooted from the city in the 1948 and 1967 wars. They were not permitted to return to their homes, their city or even to visit holy sites or the graves of their loved ones. I decided to make a work that would offer a space for deceased Palestinians to dwell in spirit form. The piece is an offering to them and my own way of saying that in one form or another these uprooted souls will make their way home... The empty dress is a continuous theme in my work, used to evoke a sense of identity or spirit. In this case, I chose the form to honor the women of Palestine who seem able to cope with any hardship. They are heroic to me and an inspiration.” 

7 Days of Garbage

Global pollution problem! We all know what's going on right? but hardly anyone realizes just how much trash we produce daily. Gregg Segal, a photographer from California, aims to show this problem through powerful imagery, photographing people lying in their weekly load of trash. His ongoing project called “7 Days of Garbage” tries to portray people from different social backgrounds to reach largest audience possible .

Segal decided to photograph the participants in front of naturalistic backgrounds to show that the garbage produced by us is effecting it directly. “Obviously, the series is guiding people toward a confrontation with the excess that’s part of their lives. 

"I’m hoping they recognize a lot of the garbage they produce is unnecessary".

Tear Gas Flower Grenades

A Palestinian woman in the village of Bilin, near Ramallah, has planted a garden full 
of flowers grown inside of spent tear-gas grenades collected from clashes between 
Israeli soldiers and local Palestinians…

 

Strange Party Balloons

Resembling sea slugs, coral, or strange party balloons, these are the works of
Charlotte Nash who's final degree show in Sculpture at ECA was bizarre and wonderful. 
The oddest shapes and textures created by pumping expanding foam through patterned tights. 
This!this shows amazing art work can be done with textiles! 

                     

Knitted Comfort Food

Artist Jessica Dance has crafted common foods and meals in knitted 

wool for her project “ Comfort Food,” in collaboration with photographer David Sykes…

Intimate Portraits

Photographer Mark Nixon Has captured some "intimate portraits". For his book Project 
Much Loved he captured portraits of cherished stuffed animals that have been ripped apart 
and bruised after years of play and snuggles. 
It seems very sad at first, but the more tattered the plush possession, the more loved it was. 
It’s not easy being a teddy bear!