Mike Ballard, Shadow Ban

About

Delving into a vast archive of materials, Mike Ballard not only draws from personal history but also embraces the ethos of an unconventional artistic journey – one that has been firmly formed by subcultures. The city's entropic condition comes to life in overlooked and underused spaces, where Ballard directs his attention to the remnants, residue, and serendipitous layering of signs and symbols—whether they are paints, varnish, stickers, advertisements, or instructions. Employing techniques such as photography, photocopying, adhesion, saturation, abrasion, and addition, his paintings intricately capture these processes, providing a visual commentary on the urban forces that negate, displace, and corrode.