Nick Ballon
UK
Ezekiel 36:36
Ezekiel 36:36
In Ezekiel 36:36 photographer Nick Ballon’s fascination and personal connection with Bolivia is brought to life with his documentation of Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (LAB), one of the world’s oldest surviving airlines. Founded in 1925, it has played an important role in every stage of the country’s history. Since its privatisation in 1994, LAB has suffered at the hands of successive administrations, becoming gradually dismantled due to chronic mismanagement and corruption. Currently under threat of closure and with its downed fleet of aircraft slowly crumbling away, this airline continues to survive through the loyalty and faith of its remaining 180 staff.
Sensitive to this poignant and transitional time, Ballon has spent six months recording the present day story of LAB. He has created a series of images, which evoke a sense of dignity, allowing us to share intimate moments with the people and personalities still on the airline’s fragile payroll.
The title Ezekiel 36:36 refers to the name of the only plane LAB currently has in operation, renamed after it narrowly avoided a tragic accident. Ezekiel 36:36 has in many ways become a metaphor for the story of Bolivia and its people: Resigned to look back at past glory and grandeur which is at once half-imagined and half-remembered. There is a paradoxical sense of loss and optimism, which resonates throughout and as the narrative unfolds you can’t help but feel that Ballon’s presentation of LAB relates to us all in some way.
Nick Ballon
Nick Ballon lives and works in London.
A rich Bolivian heritage plays a key role in Nick’s subject matter and identity as a photographer, alongside a desire to feel more connected and explore the idea of ‘foreignness’ in his work within a country closely connected to him in spirit although lives 6000 miles away from.
Visually Nick has developed a style and palette that uses muted colours and a neutral tones. These tones and the environment where a particular type of soft lighting exists are sought out during the process of setting up a picture. This often creates a subtle and understated image, which accentuate his intent with ambiguity and at times a playful humour. In order to explore this sense of the ambiguous place, he uses a combination of environment, portrait and landscape.
Nick’s ability to examine the familiar yet strange, seeing beauty in our unexceptional and day-to-day experiences, has allowed him to bring a diversity of subjects into his work which translates across his work.
