BALLEN was born in New York in 1950, and has lived in Johannesburg, South Africa, for nearly thirty years. Working as a geologist, Ballen began to photograph the homes and white residents of rural South Africa before developing his more theatrical and expressive style in the late-1990s.
Things Merging and Falling Apart
“I first began experimenting with cameraless techniques in a colour darkroom in 2010,” says Russian photographer Tatiana Gulenkina, who is based in Washington DC. “I originally thought it would be a fun side project but I ended up falling in love with the process. There is something magical about working with your hands.”
Botânica, 2014
Vasco Araújo works in a variety of media, including video, installation and photography, to explore ideas of community and marginality. Gestures of seduction, cultural stereotypes, political characteristics as well as sexual identities have all been the focus of his work. It has been described as Baroque in its literary, historical and art historical references and he draws the viewer into looking at society, providing both honest as well as artificial reflections.
Ex-Fotos, 2005-2009
Fernando Lemos é uma espécie de arquiteto às avessas. “Tenho apreço por tudo que é demolição, mas deveria ser construção”, diz o artista português. “Tudo que é demolido se torna um novo projeto. Eu procuro o que não se construiu, aquilo que se perdeu.” Ele descreve dessa forma a engenharia por trás de suas imagens, fotografias e desenhos que expõe agora em duas mostras simultâneas em São Paulo, onde se radicou. Enquanto na galeria Fass está uma série de fotografias com intervenções do artista, imagens violentadas com lâminas e outros materiais para revelar turbilhões insuspeitados de cores, o oposto da destruição está agora no Consulado Geral de Portugal.
Terrain 9 – 5×4 in Terrain (2011 – 2012) Gelatin Silver Photogram
“Terrain is my first series of cameraless photographs. Between salt and water, two of the most primal properties of the planet earth, barely visible textures create topographic shadows which can be exposed by sparks of electronic light.”
Contemporary Photography Index 