Stephen Mallon, "Passing America"

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Front Room Gallery is pleased to present “Passing America,” a solo exhibition of photographs by Stephen Mallon. Known for his ability to uncover the compelling intersections of industry, infrastructure, and the natural world, Mallon's latest exhibition continues his obsessive documentation of the American locomotive system. In a changing country, Mallon’s photographs portray a critical infrastructure that has been crucial to our nation for centuries. Presented in a one to three ratio that mimics the proportions of the railroad cars that he is depicting, these photographs are a tribute to our American rail system. This is Mallon’s eighth solo exhibition at The Front Room Gallery.

Mallon’s train cars are all in motion—literally. What appears as a paused reality is, in fact, a fleeting instant—an intersection of steel, speed, and precision as each car races past his lens. Mallon’s meticulous process is a choreography of elements: the perfect vantage point, the play of light, the distinct character of each train, and the challenge of seizing the exact moment when mechanical and natural forces align. His photographs capture the precise intersection of the mechanical and natural worlds, freezing a decisive moment in time.

These trains merge with their surroundings, like characters that remain still yet appear fully immersed in the landscape around them. Mallon’s photograph, “Locomotive FEC 803” stands amid a backdrop of vibrant murals and swaying palm trees, a striking testament to industrial power and motion. Bathed in golden sunlight, its bold orange and yellow hues contrast against the lush tropical setting, creating a dynamic interplay between the mechanical and the organic. It is a study in contrast, where urban infrastructure meets the rhythm of the natural world. The locomotive’s intricate details—grime-coated wheels, rugged railings, and powerful vents—speak to its enduring purpose, a modern relic of movement frozen in time.

In addition to their surroundings, the train cars themselves often serve as canvases for urban artists. These graffiti-covered boxcars, having traveled across the country and back, tell multiple stories of their own. One particular "tagger" repeatedly sprays "$20,000" on numerous train cars, creating a signature that echoes across tracks. The semi-abstract "signatures" and occasional figurative works further enrich the visual narrative.

In Boxcar AR 8160, a rusted green car seemingly rests with its cargo door ajar, evoking nostalgia and conjuring images of hobos from a bygone era seeking refuge within its weathered interior. The faded logo, "Marinette Tomahawk and Western," appears in worn white letters, a relic of the past in stark contrast to the vibrant graffiti below. A newer addition features an eerie, surreal landscape—or perhaps a hill—made up of breastbones and ribs, silhouetted in white. This unsettling imagery deepens the dialogue between the natural world and the train, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing conversation between the historical train cars, their locations, and a new urban expression.

Stephen Mallon is well known for his series “Next Stop Atlantic,” featuring decommissioned NYC Subway cars as they are retired in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean as artificial reefs, as well as his series “Brace for Impact”, which chronicles the January 5th, 2009 reclamation of the US Airways Airbus A320 plane which was successfully landed in the waters of the Hudson river by Captain “Sully” Sullenburger.

Stephen Mallon’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries internationally, and his photographs have been featured in National Geographic, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Wired, Stern, PetaPixel, Viral Forest, BuzzFeed, New York Magazine, The Huffington Post, and on CNN, CBS, MSNBC, and NPR.