Vicky Roy: Artist and the Brand
Chandan Gomes

On many occasions, his work has been labelled as NGO photography. Such a definition, limits the scope of his expression, thus resulting in the artist being secondary to the brand. I strongly object to such a reading of his work! Unlike most photographers, whose point of reference is the work of some other photographer, the point of reference for Vicky is his own photographs and life. That is what gives his photographs a voice of their own in this numbing ocean of frighteningly similar photographs. I consider him to be a unique voice in the genre of social documentary photography in the Indian
landscape. While most photographers take a higher moral ground, an impersonal third person narrative, and load their photographs excessively with information; Vicky demystifies his expression by chiselling his photographs as parables. His aesthetics are drawn from a deep sense of purposefulness that bequeaths the photograph with a life of its own. His photographs are tender and reflective; they take their own time to reveal their intricacies and complexities. What follows the revelation is a feeling of ownership in us, the viewers. His stories, his anxieties, his trials and his tribulations become ours; and they leave us, his audience with a lingering sense of longing. This for me is Vicky’s legacy. Everything else about
his craft – the books, the talks and the exhibitions are merely statistics. I will not wish him luck because if I do it will only
strengthen the rags to riches perspective. I strongly believe the potential of a tree is already contained in its seed. And this potential is free from the tyranny of luck or destiny. I hope and pray the best for him, who is neither my friend nor my brother.