Roger the Rat
Roger Ballen
Galeria SENDA, Barcelona
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- Title
- Roger the Rat
- Gallery
- Galeria SENDA, Barcelona
- Year
- 2020
- Duration
- 25 min 43 s
- Format & Technical
HD, Single-Channel Video, Colour, Sound
Roger Ballen created a persona, Roger the Rat. Here, the artist creates and documents an archetypal persona who is a part-human, part-rat creature who lives an isolated life outside of mainstream society. In this film we follow Roger the Rat, as he moves out of his restrictive hovel to an abandoned graveyard of discarded mannequins taking them to his house to dress and communicate with them. Initially Roger the Rat was ecstatic with his newfound companions as he could dress them, talk to them and share his feelings. As time passes, he comes increasingly frustrated by their lack of response which leads to his outbursts of violent and irrational behavior. Roger the Rat, gives expression to the corroding effects of loneliness, seclusion and uncomfortable suffocation in confined spaces afflicted on the human psyche as a consequence of the isolation.
Stills
Born in New York in 1950, son of a photograph editor at Magnum, Ballen has worked as a geologist and mine consultant before launching his own photographic career, documenting small towns in rural Africa and their isolated inhabitants, spending more than 40 years living there. It was in the 90s when his style changed, trying the black and white technique and a more ‘documentary fiction’ approach to his work. Ballen has always been intrigued by the idea of a hybrid between photography and drawing, as well as the expansion of his visual language, making him experiment with video works where the human conditions are his main subject matter. He is considered one of the most influential artists of the 21st century, having published over 25 books internationally and being part of multiple solo and group exhibitions since 1981.
Related galleries
Galeria SENDA
- Address
- Trafalgar 32, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
- Phone
- +34934876759
- info@galeriasenda.com
- Website
- galeriasenda.com
Senda is passionate about creation, it values and supports the talent, risk and singularity found in young and established artists, both national and international, defending each individual’s value while avoiding closed minded programs or narrow lines of thought. We believe in the value of diversity and the richness of its multiple languages, and we try to identify singular worlds in which we can be reflected and grow together.
Since 1991, we have been actively working as a gallery, and from now on we are expanding our actions towards other art services. Moreover, we are closely linked to other projects such as LOOP Barcelona, the world reference video art fair; and Talking Galleries, an initiative that promotes debate and discussions towards the development of the art industry.
It is important for us to continue collaborating with artists that trust our work and participate as well as support their creative process so that new projects come to light, inside or outside of the gallery space and to equally serve as support to institutions or third parties with their artistic endeavors.