"Integrating A Parallel Reality Between Contemporary Art And Music" - Roger Ballen Discusses His Impact On Popular Culture Through His Work With Die Antwoord At Mouche Gallery

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., May 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, April 26, Keiko Noah Maestro at Mouche Gallery invited guests to experience the "I Fink U Freeky" world of Roger Ballen and Die Antwoord through an interactive installation at Mouche Gallery. The gallery was transformed and Roger Ballen's edgy and gritty "dark comic book world" took over.   This is the first installation that Roger Ballen has done in the United States.   Guests at the opening event at the gallery were shocked to see what was waiting behind the velvet red ropes separating Roger Ballen's world from the rest of Beverly Hills, as live pigeons, doves, and rats accented Roger Ballen's play on Hollywood.  Ballen co-directed the "I Fink U Freeky" music video with Ninja for Die Antwoord that has swept the nation. The viral video sensation is close to 30 million Youtube hits, and is still escalating.  Watch the video below and get a glimpse into the process of one of the top contemporary photographers of this generation as he creates his installation, and the cutting edge rap group from South Africa – Die Antwoord, the vibration that is being seen and heard around the globe.

Installation Video: http://mouchegallery.com/store/i-fink-u-freeky/

During the installation Roger sat down to discuss this trendsetting phenomenon, the story behind the video, the merging of music and contemporary photography in the 'I fink u freeky' video.   This is one of the first times in history that a musical artist, cutting edge alternative rap group, has embodied the art of a photographer to create a parallel living breathing reality.  The collaboration has entranced Random House which is will be releasing a book about Die Antwoord and Roger Ballen's journey.

"If someone punches you in the face fokken hard, it makes you stop thinking about everything except, 'What the fok just happened?'" – Yo-landi (Die Antwoord) "Suddenly we stopped liking all the music and art we had made up till this point and decided to throw it all away. This new dark comic book world was the fokken answer!  We wanted to move into this world and leave our old reality behind.  This new world was so alien but also so strangely familiar. So mysterious comforting and exciting." – A letter from Die Antwoord, to Roger Ballen.

"We were able to put a couple sources of media together and create a larger hole and I think that's why this video has become so important and so powerful, because it's not just about photography, it's not just about music, it's not about staging, it's about all of these things, to create a much larger hole and a much bigger presence," says Ballen.

"Most people are scared, they're scared of loneliness, they're scared of the dark, they're scared of themselves. That's what the problem is. I think that's a good sign, you know, that it scared you a little bit, it meant that you were facing a zone in yourself that you haven't felt before or seen before so that's a good thing. That's what art should be doing. It should be making you dig a little deeper each time, so if the art did it, if the video did it to you; I think it did it to a lot of people. It was what it should be doing it was expanding peoples consciousness of themselves and making them more aware." – Roger Ballen

To pay tribute to this top contemporary photographer, the Crescent Beverly Hills Hotel provided bites at the event based on a few favorite South African dishes: Bobotie, Bunny Chow, Pumpkin Fritters and Rock Lobster Salad. Moreno Champagne was on hand with their edgy leopard print bottles emblazoned with Swarovski crystals. For those who preferred something stronger, Peligroso Tequila had a mixologist creating tequila cocktails. After the night ended, the Crescent Beverly Hills hosted a private seated dinner in honor of Roger Ballen. 

Mouche Gallery 

"The Artist is the Muse at Mouche!  The artist is our inspiration," says Maestro (Owner) Keiko Noah. Keiko conducts the gallery as a space for creativity & collaboration for inspiring minds to launch, celebrate and embrace art in its ever expanding form.  It always starts with the vision, the artist, the eye behind the lens and brush. Discovering the eyes, voids, voice of the artist, has taken the gallery on a magical adventure with every exhibition. This is at the core of Mouche Culture.   Vive la Mouche!

Michael Florian  served as the Creative Director at Mouche for this event and brought years of experience, having worked with some of the world's most prominent photographers including, Pierre and Gilles, Mario Testino, Ellen Von Unverth, David LaChappelle, to name a few.

About Roger Ballen 

Roger Ballen is one of the most important photographers of his generation. Over the past thirty years his distinctive style of photography has evolved using a simple square format in stark and beautiful black and white. Ballen has long approached unexpected realities with an unflinching and empathetic style, using dark imagery and taking a psychological approach to his craft. Ballen considers black and white photography as a minimalist art form, which provides an abstract way to interpret and transform what one may refer to as reality or disturbing psychodramas.

Roger Ballen's photographs have been shown in, and collected by some of the most prestigious institutions including the Tate, Smithsonian, Centre Georges Pompidou, Victoria & Albert Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.   

About Die Antwoord

This high energy, rave rap outfit from South Africa caused the Internet to explode when, "I Fink You Freeky" and "Zef Side" hit YouTube and spread with over 29 Million Views each. Everything about Die Antwoord is totally infectious, be it the music, the tattoos, the hair, the Zef style, or the Afrikaans slang. Given that Die Antwoord translates from Afrikaans to the Answer, it begs one to ask: What's the question? Probably something along the lines of, "Are these two for fokken real? 

View the Roger Ballen Collection 

I Fink U Freeky Official Music Video – WATCH HERE

Media Contact:
Ye-Hui Lu
Phone: (415) 902-0505
Email: [email protected]

Gallery Contact:
Keiko Noah
[email protected]

SOURCE Mouche Gallery