Cowgirls don’t cry
Cowgirls Don't Cry is a snapshot of a fragmented reality. It shows an obvious disconnect in American society where populism has been allowed to develop. In the weeks between the US presidential elections on November 3, and President Biden's inauguration day on January 20, I attempted to capture that disconnect by following different trails.
I had been documenting Trump's America since the beginning of his mandate through a long-term story on the Texas exotic game industry. When the time came for Trump to face the election results, I was curious to see what would become of the severe identity issues the country was experiencing. When America is ill, Europe sneezes. As a European, and an outsider, I decided to explore in depth the ordinary people who made him their Leader. They are the ones who build kingdoms, and yet they get pushed out of History.
For three months, I followed small groups of Trump supporters—isolated and organized alt-right, QAnon conspirators and white supremacists. These images bear witness to their slow radicalization, from the contestation of an election to the assault on the Capitol, the symbol of democracy weakened by an inflamed leader, Donald Trump.
The project consists of a series of documents, photographs and correspondence between Trump's communication services and his supporters, and messages on the social network Parler. By using images and screenshots, I try to separate the myths from reality. Documentation enlightens immediate history and my long-term approach provides the distance to capture and understand the America Trump leaves behind.
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