With Cars and Cows, Ute Behrend presents us with her subtle observations on the myth of progress of the American Dream and the fragility of our era – a poetic look beyond the roadside!
Just as the American Dream is coming of age and gradually deteriorating, Ute Behrend‘s photographs bring together two outdated models reminiscent of the good old days in the United States: American Classic Cars and old Breeds of Cattle.
On her travels through the USA, the Colognebased photographer repeatedly noticed Chevrolets, Cadillacs and other Classic American cars some lovingly maintained, others left to rot on the side of the road by themselves. At the same time, she kept looking into the attentive eyes of longhorns and other cattle. These have more in common with the motorized witnesses of the American Dream than you might imagine: both are registered and numbered, emit an inappropriate amount of climatedamaging gases, CO2 and methane, pollute the environment and are symbols of an era that revelled in abundance and celebrated symbols of its wealth. Ute Behrend‘s empathetic gaze allows for a certain nostalgia without slipping into the kitschy.
Ute Behrend : Cars and Cows
Hardcover, stitched binding, foil embossing, Pseudo leather 18,1 x 24 cm
88 pages, 48 colour images
German, English
Edition of 500 Copies
ISBN 978-3-948059-07-1
Price 45€
www.bummbummbooks.de
