Bachpan: A solo photography exhibition by Vicky Roy

Bachpan, a solo photography exhibition by noted Delhi-based artist Vicky Roy, will open this evening at Vadehra Art Gallery in Defence Colony. The preview is scheduled from 6 to 8 PM, with the exhibition running until May 30.

Featuring around 45 black-and-white photographs, the exhibition brings together two of Roy’s ongoing series—Bachpan and the never-before-exhibited Janwaar Castle. This marks the photographer’s second major outing with the gallery.

Roy, who once lived on the streets of Delhi and was rehabilitated through Salaam Baalak Trust, draws deeply from personal experience in his work. His photographs celebrate the resilience, joy and imagination of underprivileged children across India.

In the Bachpan series, Roy documents children at play in places such as Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi and West Bengal. Using found objects and inventive thinking, the children create their own games and toys—offering a raw and uplifting view of childhood shaped by community and creativity.

The Janwaar Castle series captures a unique skateboarding initiative in the village of Janwaar, Madhya Pradesh, where access to a community skate park has empowered local children to express themselves and transform their lives through sport.

“Bachpan is my way of reconnecting with childhood—not just mine, but the kind I see around me as I travel,” Roy said ahead of the opening. “These children show us that joy is not limited by circumstance.”

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In keeping with the spirit of the work, thirty per cent of the proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to the Barefoot Skateboarders Organisation in Janwaar, which continues to work with young people in the region.

When: May 2– 30;10 AM–6 PM

Where: Vadehra Art Gallery, D-53 Defence Colony, New Delhi