Wappinger Creek on the border of Poughkeepsie, New York, is a modest watershed easily overlooked on maps at first glance. Yet despite “No Trespassing” signs lining the perimeter, every summer it transforms into a sanctuary for a cosmopolitan community escaping the urban heat and daily burdens. Photographer Caleb Stein, a former long-distance swimmer, has been regularly returning to this hidden riverbank—discovered alongside his partner Andrea Orejarena—for over a decade. Published by Palo Gallery Press and traveling to the stage of Matt Carey-Williams Gallery in London following an international tour, the series Down by the Hudson [2013-2025] examines how water flexes human behavior and brings vulnerability together with freedom.
The Coexistence of Transgression
Despite legal restrictions, this site—where even the police bring their own families—acts as a democratic sanctuary that belongs to no one yet remains open to all. For Stein, every photograph begins with a relationship; whether built over a few hours or spanning years of connection, the frames take shape through mutual curiosity and the consent of those portrayed. On the riverbank, the photographer bears witness to the unraveling of traditional molds of masculinity. Instead of displays of violence or power, what comes forward is the serenity of youths swimming in sync within the water, Seamus seeking tenderness in an embryonic pose after losing his mother, or the softness in bodies touching one another.
A Poetic Objection to the Hudson River School
Nineteenth-century Hudson River School painters had rendered the region on canvas as unpopulated, untouched, fairytale landscapes ready for colonization. Stein’s lens directly intervenes in this romantic narrative: filling the basin with the reality of a post-industrial city, massive tree roots, climate change, and human stories that have existed there for centuries. Returning to the shore not only during summer months but also on freezing winter days when the river freezes over, the artist documents the idea: “If you stay with something long enough, you witness the world renewing itself.”
Following its debut at Palo Gallery in New York, presentations at Paris Photo (Sixteen World Collection), and San Francisco (Book & Job Gallery), the work will meet viewers under the roof of Matt Carey-Williams Gallery in London from March 3 to April 2, 2027.
Exhibition Note from NO-26 Editor
Artist: Caleb Stein
Exhibition / Book: Down by the Hudson [2013-2025] (Palo Gallery Press)
Venue: Matt Carey-Williams Gallery (London, UK)
Dates: March 3 – April 2, 2027 (Touring Route: Palo Gallery NY Sept-Oct 2026, Paris Photo Nov 2026, Book & Job Gallery SF Jan 2027)
