EUROPEAN COWBOY - PHOTOBOOK
EUROPEAN COWBOY is a photo book about a close-knit community of young cowboys in Europe who practice bull riding, part of the classic American rodeo and also the most dangerous sport in the world. At its heart it is about identity, heroism and freedom within a lifestyle where authenticity meets a constructed self.
During the summer months, these men travel through Belgium, France and Italy to pursue their dreams by participating in local rodeos. For most of them, bull riding is much more than a sport. It is a lifestyle, shaped by the ideal image of 'the Cowboy' as we collectively remember it from the mythical American West.
In European Cowboy, visual elements of this mythical cowboy that we know from television series, films and commercials are interwoven with the harsh realities of individual dreams, friendship and vulnerabilities of the real cowboys of Europe. It is here, where observed reality and the mythical image meet, that they shape their personal forms of identity and freedom.
During the summer months, these men travel through Belgium, France and Italy to pursue their dreams by participating in local rodeos. For most of them, bull riding is much more than a sport. It is a lifestyle, shaped by the ideal image of 'the Cowboy' as we collectively remember it from the mythical American West.
In European Cowboy, visual elements of this mythical cowboy that we know from television series, films and commercials are interwoven with the harsh realities of individual dreams, friendship and vulnerabilities of the real cowboys of Europe. It is here, where observed reality and the mythical image meet, that they shape their personal forms of identity and freedom.
Photography and text: Bjorn Staps
Publisher: Lecturis
Design: -SYB-
Lithography: Sebastiaan Hanekroot, Colour & Books
Production: Jos Morree, Fine Books
Print and binding: Wilco Art Books
Hardcover: Golden ink, embossed title
152 pages (incl. 2 fold-out pages containing a hidden section)
Paper: Munken Lynx Rough 120 gr. - Munken Lynx Rough 100 gr. - Soporset 60 gr.
Dimensions: 240 mm x 320 mm
Language: English + French
Print run: 500 copies
ISBN: 9789462264816
€ 50,00
