This series is one of those rare bodies of work that combines a surface ease of viewing with a passionate depth of character. Dan Nelken's images are seemingly directed and uncomplicated portraits of the participants in some of the country fairs that make up American rural life. Do not be fooled. Look deeper, past their record of faces and animals and through their delightful wit, and you will be moved by the spirit of these participants and the complexity of the seemingly simple events in which they are engaged.