The Way West

Glasgow, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Liberty County, Montana, 2015 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Lavina, Montana, 2017 thumbnail
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 2014 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2015 thumbnail
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2017 thumbnail
Kalispell, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Kalispell, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2018 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2018 thumbnail
Aurora, Nebraska, 2018 thumbnail
Central City, Nebraska, 2018 thumbnail
Rapid City, South Dakota, 2010 thumbnail
Billings, Montana, 2010 thumbnail
Afton, Wyoming, 2016 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2010 thumbnail
Waynoka, Oklahoma, 2013 thumbnail
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015 thumbnail
Merrick County, Nebraska, 2018 thumbnail
Ogallala, Nebraska, 2011 thumbnail
Wilsall, Montana, 2018 thumbnail
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2017 thumbnail
Rock Springs, Wyoming, 2015 thumbnail
Glendive, Montana, 2017 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2010 thumbnail
Aurora, Nebraska, 2018 thumbnail
Central City, Nebraska, 2018 thumbnail
Seward, Nebraska, 2011 thumbnail
Cripple Creek, Colorado, 2011 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2009 thumbnail
Grand Island, Nebraska, 2010 thumbnail
Sheridan, Wyoming, 2017 thumbnail
Rock Springs, Wyoming, 2015 thumbnail
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015 thumbnail
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Northern North Dakota, 2018 thumbnail
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015 thumbnail
Basin, Wyoming, 2017 thumbnail
Burley, Idaho, 2015 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2008 thumbnail
Billings, Montana, 2010 thumbnail
Ogallala, Nebraska, 2011 thumbnail
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015 thumbnail
Billings, Montana, 2015 thumbnail
Bridgeport, Nebraska, 2015 thumbnail
Castle Dale, Utah, 2013 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2008 thumbnail
Burley, Idaho, 2015 thumbnail
Grand Island, Nebraska, 2010 thumbnail
Western Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2016 thumbnail
Stapleton, Nebraska, 2014 thumbnail
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Glendive, Montana, 2017 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2011 thumbnail
Kalispell, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2018 thumbnail
Broken Bow, Nebraska, 2018 thumbnail
Day County, South Dakota, 2014 thumbnail
Burley, Idaho, 2015 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Stanford, Montana, 2017 thumbnail
Glendive, Montana, 2017 thumbnail
Crow Agency, Montana, 2017 thumbnail
Kalispell, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Glendive, Montana, 2017 thumbnail
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2018 thumbnail
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014 thumbnail
Waynoka, Oklahoma, 2013 thumbnail
Douglas, Wyoming, 2011 thumbnail
Huthcinson County, South Dakota, 2014 thumbnail
Glasgow, Montana, 2014
Liberty County, Montana, 2015
Crow Agency, Montana, 2014
Lavina, Montana, 2017
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 2014
Crow Agency, Montana, 2015
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2017
Kalispell, Montana, 2014
Kalispell, Montana, 2014
Crow Agency, Montana, 2018
Crow Agency, Montana, 2018
Aurora, Nebraska, 2018
Central City, Nebraska, 2018
Rapid City, South Dakota, 2010
Billings, Montana, 2010
Afton, Wyoming, 2016
Crow Agency, Montana, 2010
Waynoka, Oklahoma, 2013
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015
Merrick County, Nebraska, 2018
Ogallala, Nebraska, 2011
Wilsall, Montana, 2018
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014
Crow Agency, Montana, 2017
Rock Springs, Wyoming, 2015
Glendive, Montana, 2017
Crow Agency, Montana, 2010
Aurora, Nebraska, 2018
Central City, Nebraska, 2018
Seward, Nebraska, 2011
Cripple Creek, Colorado, 2011
Crow Agency, Montana, 2009
Grand Island, Nebraska, 2010
Sheridan, Wyoming, 2017
Rock Springs, Wyoming, 2015
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014
Northern North Dakota, 2018
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015
Basin, Wyoming, 2017
Burley, Idaho, 2015
Crow Agency, Montana, 2008
Billings, Montana, 2010
Ogallala, Nebraska, 2011
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015
Billings, Montana, 2015
Bridgeport, Nebraska, 2015
Castle Dale, Utah, 2013
Crow Agency, Montana, 2008
Burley, Idaho, 2015
Grand Island, Nebraska, 2010
Western Montana, 2014
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2016
Stapleton, Nebraska, 2014
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014
Glendive, Montana, 2017
Crow Agency, Montana, 2011
Kalispell, Montana, 2014
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2018
Broken Bow, Nebraska, 2018
Day County, South Dakota, 2014
Burley, Idaho, 2015
Crow Agency, Montana, 2014
Stanford, Montana, 2017
Glendive, Montana, 2017
Crow Agency, Montana, 2017
Kalispell, Montana, 2014
Glendive, Montana, 2017
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2018
Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014
Waynoka, Oklahoma, 2013
Douglas, Wyoming, 2011
Huthcinson County, South Dakota, 2014 by Peter Kayafas

Glasgow, Montana, 2014

Liberty County, Montana, 2015

Crow Agency, Montana, 2014

Lavina, Montana, 2017

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 2014

Crow Agency, Montana, 2015

Twin Bridges, Montana, 2017

Kalispell, Montana, 2014

Kalispell, Montana, 2014

Crow Agency, Montana, 2018

Crow Agency, Montana, 2018

Aurora, Nebraska, 2018

Central City, Nebraska, 2018

Rapid City, South Dakota, 2010

Billings, Montana, 2010

Afton, Wyoming, 2016

Crow Agency, Montana, 2010

Waynoka, Oklahoma, 2013

Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015

Merrick County, Nebraska, 2018

Ogallala, Nebraska, 2011

Wilsall, Montana, 2018

Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014

Crow Agency, Montana, 2017

Rock Springs, Wyoming, 2015

Glendive, Montana, 2017

Crow Agency, Montana, 2010

Aurora, Nebraska, 2018

Central City, Nebraska, 2018

Seward, Nebraska, 2011

Cripple Creek, Colorado, 2011

Crow Agency, Montana, 2009

Grand Island, Nebraska, 2010

Sheridan, Wyoming, 2017

Rock Springs, Wyoming, 2015

Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015

Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014

Northern North Dakota, 2018

Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015

Basin, Wyoming, 2017

Burley, Idaho, 2015

Crow Agency, Montana, 2008

Billings, Montana, 2010

Ogallala, Nebraska, 2011

Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 2015

Billings, Montana, 2015

Bridgeport, Nebraska, 2015

Castle Dale, Utah, 2013

Crow Agency, Montana, 2008

Burley, Idaho, 2015

Grand Island, Nebraska, 2010

Western Montana, 2014

Twin Bridges, Montana, 2016

Stapleton, Nebraska, 2014

Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014

Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014

Glendive, Montana, 2017

Crow Agency, Montana, 2011

Kalispell, Montana, 2014

Twin Bridges, Montana, 2018

Broken Bow, Nebraska, 2018

Day County, South Dakota, 2014

Burley, Idaho, 2015

Crow Agency, Montana, 2014

Stanford, Montana, 2017

Glendive, Montana, 2017

Crow Agency, Montana, 2017

Kalispell, Montana, 2014

Glendive, Montana, 2017

Twin Bridges, Montana, 2018

Twin Bridges, Montana, 2014

Waynoka, Oklahoma, 2013

Douglas, Wyoming, 2011

Huthcinson County, South Dakota, 2014

The Way West

The Way West Cover

The Way West, an exhibition and book project, presents images from ten years and thousands of miles of travel in the Plains States.
 A continuation of his ongoing exploration of the backroads of America, Kayafas uses his camera to investigate the histories and ritualized traditions of people living in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Their way of life and
 their connection to the land and the animals that comprise their lifeblood, are enduring themes. So, too, is the passage of young people from childhood into adulthood, accumulating experience and knowledge of the struggles and challenges of life in the West. The backdrop for this compelling narrative is the dramatic, rugged, and wide-open landscape of the American West in its layered complexity.

What is the West? We think we know—cowboys, Indians, cows, dust, sunsets, rodeos, right? One of the many things that is powerful about these photographs by Peter Kayafas is the cunning yet also unpretentious way in which the old memes are shown to be secondary to the primal power of youth, and youth in a western landscape.

—Rick Bass from the Afterword to the book

Press

INTERVIEW: “Out West” interview with Peter Kayafas about The Way West on the Shadow Yaddo podcast, March 4, 2021.
REVIEW: “The Critic’s Notebook: The Way West: Photographs by Peter Kayafas,” in The New Criterion, April 14, 2020.
REVIEW: “A Photographer’s Travels Across the Real American West,” by Edward M. Gómez in Hyperallergic, April 11, 2020.
REVIEW: “Myths and magic: the new American West–in pictures” in The Guardian, April 1, 2020.
EXHIBITION: Exhibition of “Peter Kayafas: The Way West” at Gallery Kayafas, Boston, March 6 through April 11, 2020.
REVIEW: “The Way West by Photographer Peter Kayafas,” in Booooooom, March 9, 2020
REVIEW: “Peter Kayafas: The Way West @Sasha Wolf,” by Loring Knoblauch on Collectordaily.com
REVIEW: “The Way West: Photographs by Peter Kayafas from the Open Road,” by Edward M. Gómez on Hyperallergic.com
REVIEW: “Peter Kayafas ‘The Way West’ at Sasha Wolf Gallery,” by Amanda Everich on Museemagazine.com
EXHIBITION: Exhibition of “The Way West,” at Sasha Wolf Gallery, New York, opens on April 23rd at 6pm and will be on view through June 8, 2014.
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