Wouter Deruytter: Cowboy Code

Belgian photographer Wouter Deruytter is well-known for his images of people in the masks & costumes of their identity--from the time-travelling duo McDermott & McGough, to drag queens, to circus performers, & on & on. Now Deruytter has turned his attention to the American West. For the past three summers he has been photographing cowboys & small town rodeos in Montana. The rodeo cowboy is an omnipresent image in American culture, a modern day folk hero & the subject of plays, movies, television, novels, & all the other arts. But in these photographs from small, non-commercial rodeos Deruytter reveals something we have not seen in most other depictions. Cowboy Code is a collection of what are probably his most joyous & inspiring images, a book of cowboy knights who have traded tournaments for rodeos, helmets for hats, & armor for leather. Deruytter's cowboys, however, are not one-dimensional anachronisms. They tell a great mythic tale, but they also suggest several historical parallels & force us to remember vanishing things we like to think of as permanent American values. They carefully document the small town rodeo, & finally they exude a sensuality & youthful elegance these cowboys may not be aware of. When we look at Deruytter's cowboys & rodeos, we know we are witnessing rituals. These are eloquent & sensual images that bring to light another side of the cowboy myth in America.John Wood is the author of 'Wouter Deruytter: Cowboy Code', published 2000 under ISBN 9781892041340 and ISBN 1892041340.