O Public Road!

Lovell, Wyoming, 2008 thumbnail
Mississippi, 1998 thumbnail
Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, 2008 thumbnail
Iowa, 1993 thumbnail
Elephant Butte, New Mexico, 2006 thumbnail
San Francisco, 1991 thumbnail
Selma, Alabama, 1998 thumbnail
Mississippi, 1999 thumbnail
San Francisco, 2007 thumbnail
Pennsylvania, 2005 thumbnail
Hollywood, California, 1990 thumbnail
Dallas, Texas, 1990 thumbnail
Selma, Alabama, 2005 thumbnail
Rodney, Mississippi, 2005 thumbnail
 Algiers, Louisiana, 1998 thumbnail
Alabama, 1998 thumbnail
New Orleans, 2006 thumbnail
Columbus, Ohio, 2005 thumbnail
New Mexico, 2006 thumbnail
Arkansas, 1999 thumbnail
New Mexico, 2006 thumbnail
Laramie, Wyoming, 2008 thumbnail
Easton, Pennsylvania, 2005 thumbnail
Roswell, New Mexico, 2006 thumbnail
Douglas, Wyoming, 2008 thumbnail
Lucedale, Mississippi, 1999 thumbnail
Algiers, Louisiana, 2001 thumbnail
Savannah, Georgia, 1993 thumbnail
Montgomery, Alabama, 2005 thumbnail
Highpoint, North Carolina, 1993 thumbnail
New Orleans, 1998 thumbnail
San Francisco, 2007 thumbnail
New Orleans, 1998 thumbnail
New York City, 1993 thumbnail
Jackson, Mississippi, 2007 thumbnail
New Orleans, 1998 thumbnail
Alabama, 1998 thumbnail
Mississippi, 1993 thumbnail
Mississippi, 1994 thumbnail
Arkansas, 1993 thumbnail
New Orleans, 1990 thumbnail
El Paso, Texas, 2006 thumbnail
Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1990 thumbnail
Jackson, Mississippi, 2007 thumbnail
Bosler, Wyoming, 2008 thumbnail
East Texas, 2006 thumbnail
Victor, Colorado, 2006 thumbnail
New Mexico, 2006 thumbnail
New Orleans, 2005 thumbnail
Tucson, Arizona, 1998 thumbnail
Mississippi, 1993 thumbnail
Idaho, 2008 thumbnail
New Orleans, 1998 thumbnail
Dayton, Wyoming, 2008 thumbnail
New Orleans, 2006 thumbnail
New Orleans, 2006 thumbnail
Highpoint, North Carolina, 1993 thumbnail
New Orleans, 2001 thumbnail
San Francisco, 1991 thumbnail
Coney Island, New York, 1992 thumbnail
Elephant Butte, New Mexico, 2006 thumbnail
Kingman, Arizona, 1994 thumbnail
Coney Island, New York, 1992 thumbnail
Tucson, Arizona, 1990 thumbnail
Lovell, Wyoming, 2008
Mississippi, 1998
Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, 2008
Iowa, 1993
Elephant Butte, New Mexico, 2006
San Francisco, 1991
Selma, Alabama, 1998
Mississippi, 1999
San Francisco, 2007
Pennsylvania, 2005
Hollywood, California, 1990
Dallas, Texas, 1990
Selma, Alabama, 2005
Rodney, Mississippi, 2005
 Algiers, Louisiana, 1998
Alabama, 1998
New Orleans, 2006
Columbus, Ohio, 2005
New Mexico, 2006
Arkansas, 1999
New Mexico, 2006
Laramie, Wyoming, 2008
Easton, Pennsylvania, 2005
Roswell, New Mexico, 2006
Douglas, Wyoming, 2008
Lucedale, Mississippi, 1999
Algiers, Louisiana, 2001
Savannah, Georgia, 1993
Montgomery, Alabama, 2005
Highpoint, North Carolina, 1993
New Orleans, 1998
San Francisco, 2007
New Orleans, 1998
New York City, 1993
Jackson, Mississippi, 2007
New Orleans, 1998
Alabama, 1998
Mississippi, 1993
Mississippi, 1994
Arkansas, 1993
New Orleans, 1990
El Paso, Texas, 2006
Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1990
Jackson, Mississippi, 2007
Bosler, Wyoming, 2008
East Texas, 2006
Victor, Colorado, 2006
New Mexico, 2006
New Orleans, 2005
Tucson, Arizona, 1998
Mississippi, 1993
Idaho, 2008
New Orleans, 1998
Dayton, Wyoming, 2008
New Orleans, 2006
New Orleans, 2006
Highpoint, North Carolina, 1993
New Orleans, 2001
San Francisco, 1991
Coney Island, New York, 1992
Elephant Butte, New Mexico, 2006
Kingman, Arizona, 1994
Coney Island, New York, 1992
Tucson, Arizona, 1990

Lovell, Wyoming, 2008

Mississippi, 1998

Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, 2008

Iowa, 1993

Elephant Butte, New Mexico, 2006

San Francisco, 1991

Selma, Alabama, 1998

Mississippi, 1999

San Francisco, 2007

Pennsylvania, 2005

Hollywood, California, 1990

Dallas, Texas, 1990

Selma, Alabama, 2005

Rodney, Mississippi, 2005

Algiers, Louisiana, 1998

Alabama, 1998

New Orleans, 2006

Columbus, Ohio, 2005

New Mexico, 2006

Arkansas, 1999

New Mexico, 2006

Laramie, Wyoming, 2008

Easton, Pennsylvania, 2005

Roswell, New Mexico, 2006

Douglas, Wyoming, 2008

Lucedale, Mississippi, 1999

Algiers, Louisiana, 2001

Savannah, Georgia, 1993

Montgomery, Alabama, 2005

Highpoint, North Carolina, 1993

New Orleans, 1998

San Francisco, 2007

New Orleans, 1998

New York City, 1993

Jackson, Mississippi, 2007

New Orleans, 1998

Alabama, 1998

Mississippi, 1993

Mississippi, 1994

Arkansas, 1993

New Orleans, 1990

El Paso, Texas, 2006

Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1990

Jackson, Mississippi, 2007

Bosler, Wyoming, 2008

East Texas, 2006

Victor, Colorado, 2006

New Mexico, 2006

New Orleans, 2005

Tucson, Arizona, 1998

Mississippi, 1993

Idaho, 2008

New Orleans, 1998

Dayton, Wyoming, 2008

New Orleans, 2006

New Orleans, 2006

Highpoint, North Carolina, 1993

New Orleans, 2001

San Francisco, 1991

Coney Island, New York, 1992

Elephant Butte, New Mexico, 2006

Kingman, Arizona, 1994

Coney Island, New York, 1992

Tucson, Arizona, 1990

O Public Road! Photographs of America

Peter Kayafas has spent twenty years out there breaking the speed limit of the intelligible. He has photographed eateries and ruins and horizons, the starts of parades, the aftermaths of tornados, human faces, human backs. In terms both of mileage and vision, he has earned his Union Card for Loners. Other traveling sages enjoy cranky membership; Robert Frank and Walker Evans come to mind. But travel, openness, talent carried to the force of love, these have helped make Kayafas the Road’s favored recent disciple, co-dependent.

His work shows Zen discipline—it is both patient and instantaneous. Within these seeming contradictions, Kayafas has, over time, made many secrets visible. In his view, under his aegis, America’s secondary roads abound with primary subjects. If his photographs reveal a classical sense of form, an insistent purity of surface, Kayafas’s outlook has fought to keep itself militantly Democratic. Anything, around the next bend, might qualify as fascinating. O Public Road!—like some black-and-white Chinese screen—compresses decades’ travel into the folding wonder of a single trip.

—Allan Gurganus from the Afterword to the book

“A Turn in the South”

A Film by Michael Maher, with photographs by Peter Kayafas

Photographer Peter Kayafas has long been fascinated by the earthiness of southerners, their hospitality and their hatreds. Peter travels down the South’s roads capturing the contradictions of the region. Kayafas says, “Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker… I’d say that Highway 61 is one of the most historically relevant roads in America due to the number of artists and musicians who’ve traveled along it.” Peter and travelling companion Michael Maher uncover many incredible moments, from Big Jack Johnson on his porch playing Catfish Blues, to meeting Joanne Bland who took part in the freedom march led by Martin Luther King in the 1960s.

Produced by ABC Australia; Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Press

BLOG: New York Times LENS Blog feature of Peter’s photographs from O Public Road!

VIDEO: The documentary by award-winning Australian filmmaker Michael Maher about Peter’s photographs and the American South aired on Australian television in 2008. You can view the 14 minute film here: Traveling South.

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