European Cowboy by Bjorn Staps

European Cowboy by photographer Bjorn Staps is a book about identity, heroism and freedom. It depicts 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. During the summer months, these men travel through Belgium, France and Italy to pursue their dreams of freedom and heroism by participating in local rodeos. For most of them, then, bull riding is much more than a sport; it is part of a lifestyle in which they strive for a sincere life in which man and animal live together. In part, their lifestyle is also based on 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 we know from television series, movies and commercials are interwoven with the harsh realities of individual dreams, friendship and vulnerabilities of the real cowboys of Europe in their quest for personal forms of identity and freedom.