Michael Dalton
"The Great Falls"

Exhibition: 5 May - 31 May, 2018
Opening reception: Saturday, 5 May, 7pm

FK-Galerie is proud to present Michael Dalton’s exhibition of "The Great Falls" following the publication of the series from Peperoni Books. Dalton’s photographs depict the enduring & crumbling character of a post-industrial environment, namely: Paterson’s Great Falls National Park in Dalton’s home state of New Jersey. The series creates a sense of detached contemplation in which the waterfall is presented as the central character in a calm, sometimes desolate landscape.

Dalton’s images include landscapes, found still lifes, and portraits of couples that represent a pride and resilience found in communities that are forced to adapt. While the specificity of place is a stand in for other important themes of the book, a consistent atmosphere displays the ubiquity of proud, yet struggling sections of industrial Northeast of the US. However, the indelible waterfall is unmistakably Patersonian. William Carlos Williams compared the course of the Passaic River to the course of one’s life with the Falls representing “a catastrophe.” Dalton’s work explores the metaphor of the catastrophe and celebrates the fact that life continues after it.

Michael Dalton (BFA at SVA; MFA at Univ. of Hartford) lives and works in New York City as a construction worker and Artist. His work has been shown in group exhibitions at Photo Spiva, Joplin, MO, Con Artist Collective (NYC), McNeese State University (Lake Charles, LA), The Joseloff Gallery, Hartford, CT, Kominek Gallery, Berlin, Germany, and the 3rd Street Gallery, Philadelphia PA (solo exhibition). Dalton published his first book, The Great Falls (Pepperoni), in 2017. Other publications include Long Lonely Swims (various artists; aG Halide Press, 2012), and Mossless issue 3’s compendium (2014): “The United States (2003-2013)”. Dalton was a visiting lecturer at The University of Hartford and Western Connecticut State University. Dalton will also be part of a Salon with Mary Frey and Susan Lipper hosted by 10x10 Photobooks on May 9th, 2018 in New York City.