Picture this, a long-tailed giant rat is sitting on top of a man and it looks like it’s consuming something from the inside of his mouth.

Spotted, next to this couch where the man and the rodent are laying, there is a baby playing with ducklings and there is a Gogo, who seems nonchalant about the “couch situation”.

This is one of the first portraits that catches my attention as soon I walk into the Standard Bank Gallery, in Marshalltown, Jozi, for the official opening of “Roger Ballen in Johannesburg” exhibition this week.

Around the gallery, there are these strange, captivating, surreal or sinister, depending on how you view it, mind-blowing visuals encapsulating Ballen’s photographic relationship with Joburg, dating back over four decades ago.

Hot on the heels of his Belgium and Paris tour, Ballen is showcasing his works for the first time at the Standard Bank Gallery until January 31.