Curated by Luca Fiore

In collaboration with Higher Pictures Generation Gallery

Snakes, alligators, dogs, woods, junked cars, bodies of water, domino games, watermelons. Curran Hatleberg’s work is a rosary of objects, perspectives, and situations where the animal and plant worlds often blend seamlessly, as if what earned them a shot—and thus the photographer’s attention—was purely by chance.

“I wanted to go to Florida in search of less-traveled paths,” explains Hatleberg. “I wasn’t interested in the Florida of Miami beaches or Disney World, the one that ends up in newspapers. I knew nothing about that state, and I was curious to understand what happens in normal places and everyday life.” Hatleberg visited Florida for a couple of years, returning to visit the same families he met by chance, spending time with them. This proximity allowed Hatleberg to enter their world, accessing their moments of intimacy and vulnerability. A deep relationship grew from complete estrangement where photography became an excellent excuse to meet people from different worlds and give them the opportunity to share something.

The 65 photographs taken from the book “River’s Dream” (TBW Books 2022)—a finalist for the Paris Photo-Aperture PhotoBook Awards, the most important photography book award, and the result of a decade of wandering in the southern United States between Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi—are all displayed in a single long and narrow environment. Outside the exhibition, visitors can talk with the photographer and the curator, delving deeper into the themes addressed.