Cowboys

Regardless of the place of his origin history, people all over the world feel addressed by the figure of the cowboy. In my work I examine the clichés of masculinity, trace the realities and visualize my own interpretation of theme.

As an artist I work mainly with the medium of photography. Fiction, within reality, is an ongoing theme for me. Within this boundary, I am always interested in gender roles. The theme of cowboys, which I have been working on for several years now, deals with the theme of masculinity, the stereotypes that prevail in this regard and how they are dealt with in the most diverse genres and societies. Since the figure of the cowboy is known worldwide, I have researched and photographed in various countries, such as the United States, Spain, Germany, Belgium and Poland. After the photographic process, the images are selected by me, divided into groups, pairs and individual images and edited.This results, a multi-faceted work that reflects the figure of the cowboy from many different directions.

The real cowboy was only around for a fairly short time, from about 1865 to 1880. During the Southern War, many farmers had set their cattle free as they could no longer take care of them. Those same cattle turned loose, multiplied and roamed the country in wild herds. Now the cowboys, many of them freed slaves with no land, Mexicans or Native Americans, recognized these herds as an opportunity to make money. They were starting to corral these wild herds and then sell them off. It was not until Buffalo Bill, who traveled across America and Europe with his western shows, that the figure of the cowboy became mythologically supercharged. As time went by, the cowboy gradually advanced to become one of the most popular male icons of American culture.

Regardless of where the myth of the cowboy originated, people all over the world are attracted to the iconic figure of the cowboy. And the legendary image of the cowboy, as well as the entire Western genre, is constantly being reinterpreted.

But then there are those who regard themselves as the only true descendants of the cowboys. They are farmers, cattle ranchers and professional rodeo riders in the USA.

In this work, I explore these clichés, stereotypes and realities and contribute my own interpretation on the topic.