Roger Ballen (born in New York in 1950) has been living in South Africa for over forty years and is one of the world's most celebrated contemporary photographers. With this research project, pursued for over two decades, Ballen explores the deep and often disturbing relationship between human beings and animals. The images blur the boundaries between human and animal behaviour, questioning the very nature of that distinction: a typically ‘Ballenesque’ theatre in which primeval instincts and the absurd hold sway. Through surreal compositions and a dark absurdity, the work reveals how the animal is both an external presence and an intrinsic part of the human psyche, uncovering the deep connections between civilization and untamed nature.