Essentially, as in the drawings, the sense of ‘earthiness’ is conveyed through image and material. Parallel striations, globules and plant-like shapes emerge from the paint. The etchings continue the artist’s concern with textile patternmaking, as well as referencing the landscape. Calligraphic mark-making in various etching techniques draws plants on a fabric that lies before a recessive space containing industrial and urban structures. Each element on show suggests the destruction and encroachment onto precious ‘earth’ from which the substances of Ballen’s materials are yielded— down to the ink and paper of printmaking. As a grid with hand-drawn visual elements, these works seem to comment on pixelated digital images, while also attempting to transcend them.