A River Runs Through It

Alec Soth has had quite a year. In March, the 35-year-old American photographer's pictures of life on the Mississippi River were the hit of the Whitney Biennial in New York City. In June, he was made a nominee of Magnum Photos — the first step to becoming a full member of the prestigious co-operative, and the photographic equivalent of landing a junior fellowship at Oxford University. Then, in August, his book Sleeping by the Mississippi was published to widespread acclaim (the Washington Post spoke reverently of Soth's "Old Master formality"). The next stop is England, where Soth's Mississippi exhibition runs at the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool until Jan. 29.

Shot over five years with a large-format camera, Soth's work depicts a journey that progresses from the Mississippi's snow-covered northern reaches to the Delta's squalor. But Sleeping by the Mississippi is less about the river than the spirit of wandering. This is classic American road-trip photography that captures the tender frailties of ordinary people like Charles, a model-plane buff in Vasa, Minnesota. Selections from the exhibition will move to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in March, joining some of Soth's other recent work. Wherever you can see them, his photos aren't to be missed.