Cowboys | After Barbed Wire examines the mythology surrounding the figure of the cowboy and its persistent role in shaping cultural identity and gender narratives.
The project explores how a historical reality that lasted only a brief moment in time evolved into one of the most enduring and influential archetypes in the global imagination.
Although the cowboy existed primarily between 1865 and 1880, the image of the lone rider, symbolizing freedom, courage, and masculine independence, has dominated popular culture for more than a century. Following the American Civil War, vast herds of cattle roamed freely across the landscape after ranchers had been forced to abandon them. Cowboys, many of whom were formerly enslaved people, Mexican vaqueros, or Native Americans, took on the task of capturing and driving these cattle to markets, creating a short but significant chapter in frontier history.
This reality quickly disappeared with the arrival of modern ranching. The spread of fenced pastures and the invention of barbed wire in 1873 transformed the landscape and rendered traditional cattle drives increasingly obsolete. Yet just as the profession itself faded, the legend of the cowboy began to grow. From the 1880s onward, traveling shows such as those created by Buffalo Bill popularized a theatrical vision of the American West that captured audiences across both the United States and Europe. Through these performances, the cowboy became a heroic symbol that would later be reinforced by cinema, literature, music, and fashion.
Within this cultural mythology, the cowboy functions not only as a historical character but also as a projection of collective desires. The figure represents an idealized form of masculinity and independence that continues to resonate far beyond its historical origins. Rodeo culture, Western riding, reenactments, films, festivals, and fashion all participate in constantly reshaping this archetype.
Cowboys | After Barbed Wire investigates the tension between myth and lived reality. By revisiting the cultural clichés associated with the cowboy while also engaging with contemporary ranchers, farmers, and rodeo riders who consider themselves heirs to this tradition, the project reflects on how identities are constructed and performed. Through this process, the work questions how media narratives and global cultural circulation have transformed a brief historical profession into a universal symbol that continues to influence ideas of gender, heritage, and belonging.
About Ute Behrend
Ute Behrend is a German artist, publisher, and lecturer whose work moves between photography, video installation, and visual editing. She is co-founder of the publishing house BUMMBUMM BOOKS and a member of both the DGPh and the Deutscher Künstlerbund, which she joined in 2022.
Her work has been exhibited internationally and is represented in numerous public collections. After studying photography, she published her first book, Girls, Some Boys and Other Cookies, with Scalo Publishers in 1996, marking the beginning of an extensive publishing practice. To date, she has released seven monographs.
Her photobook Bärenmädchen / Bear Girls (2019) received international recognition and has been presented in exhibitions across Israel, Spain, Lithuania, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The project received several honors, including the Julia Margaret Cameron Award and the German Photobook Award.
Her project Back to Nature was nominated for the Merck Prize in 2020, and in 2021 she received the Copenhagen Photo Festival Award, where the series was presented as a solo exhibition.
Her later publications include Cars and Cows (2023/24) and Cowboys, After Barbed Wire, published in 2025 by BUMMBUMM BOOKS. She lives and works in Cologne, Germany. [Official Website]
