Roger Ballen, one of the most influential and important photographic artists of the 21st century has released the ‘Roger The Rat’ Genesis NFT collection consisting of very limited edition VIP Drops, making each unique NFT extremely rare, valuable and collectable. This NFT is an exclusive image not published in Roger's 2020 publication "Roger the rat". Throughout his career, Roger Ballen has pursued a singular artistic goal: to give expression to the human psyche and visually explore the hidden forces that shape who we are. In these sixty black-and-white photographs, Ballen creates a persona -Roger the Rat. Here, Ballen unveils a selection of uncanny photographs so completely different from his previous work, yet still possessing the unmistakable Ballenesque aesthetic. Produced in Johannesburg between 2015 and 2020, Ballen creates and documents a part-human, part-rat creature who lives an isolated life outside of mainstream society. This book presents the cycle of photographs in the form of an impressive show that keeps the reader reflecting upon them long after the last page has been turned.

The buyer will receive an exclusive digital NFT of an image not published in Roger's 2020 publication "Roger The Rat" and a signed copy of "Roger the Rat".

Roger Ballen was born in New York in 1950 but for nearly 40 years he has lived and worked in South Africa. One of the most influential and important photographic artists of the 21st century, Roger Ballen’s photographs span over forty years. His strange and extreme works confront the viewer and challenge them to come with him on a journey into their own minds as he explores the deeper recesses of his own. Ballen started to experiment 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 have been likened prehistoric cave-paintings: the black, dimensionless spaces on the glass are canvases onto which Ballen has carved his thoughts and emotions. He also released a related animated film, Theatre of Apparitions, which has been nominated for various awards. Roger Ballen will be one of the artists representing South Africa at the Venice Biennale Arte 2022 in Italy.