Roger Ballen: Boyhood

Quoted by Andre Kertesz, Bruce Davidson and Elliott Erwitt as a rare and intimate view of the spirit of youth, these images are able to bring back the childhood of everyone. In photographs and stories, Ballen leads us across the continents of Europe, Asia, and North America in search of boyhood: boyhood as it is lived in the Himalayas of Nepal, the islands of Indonesia, the provinces of China, the streets of America.

Each stunning black and white photograph (culled from 15,000 boy photos shot during Ballen's four-year quest of his subject) depicts the magic of boys revealed in their games, their adventures, their dreams, their mischief. Boyhood is able to connect boys all around the world across the borders of nationality and culture. More of an ode or a memory than a literal document, Ballen's first book is as powerful and current today as it was 43 years ago presenting a stunning series of timeless images that transcend social and cultural particularities.