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Roger Ballen’s Asylum of the Birds

Photographer Roger Ballen has lived in Johannesburg for many years, and the strange spaces he finds in its suburbs make fascinating subjects for his photographs. Last week, we covered his series Outland – portraits of surreal lives being lived on the outskirts of the human mind. This week, we cover his latest series, taken in one house in the Johannesburg suburbs, the Asylum of the Birds. While his photographs document lives that call up the most disturbing emotions and understanding of the depths of the hierarchies human beings have created, they are less a stark portrayal than they are an artistic exploration, which in fact makes them more emotionally-charged and scary to behold. The Asylum of the Birds is covered in graffiti and excrement, humans and animals living together, on top of one another. It’s a nightmare, but it is also strangely beautiful. Ballen is capturing their home and their way of life, but he also curates what we see, taking us deeper into a mysterious conscious. He’s a master of creepy photos…you can pick up the Asylum of the Birds tome here.

Asylum of the Birds, directed by Ben Crossman

Alter-ego-2010 Audience-2011

Banner-2009 Caged-2011 Deathbed-2010 Ethereal-2011 Fallen-2011 Five-hands-2006 Gaping-2010 Headless-2006 Liberation-2011 Offering-2009 Onlookers-2010 Possessed-2009 Ritual-2011 Serpent-lady-2009 Smirk-2009 Take-off-2012 Transformation-2004

Written By

Meghan MacRae grew up in Vancouver, Canada, but spent many years living in the remote woods. Living in the shadow of grizzly bears, cougars and the other predators of the wilderness taught her about the dark side of nature, and taught her to accept her place in nature's order as their prey. She is co-founder of CVLT Nation.

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