Ute Behrend - Cars and Cows
BUMMBUMM BOOKS 2023
Just as the American Dream is coming of age and gradually deteriorating, Ute Behrend's photographs bring together two outdated models reminiscent of the good old days in the United States: American Classic Cars and old Breeds of Cattle.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 Cologne-based 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 climate-damaging 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.