Leoke

Pain and Liberation

The author is not only a director but also the main character of his works. Delving into the world of conceptual photography, the artist tells stories that he had to experience and feel by himself.

The project is a visual representation of the author’s transformation revealing his vulnerabilities, resilience, and triumph of liberation. In this personal series of photographs, the author talks about impressive changes in his life – the transition from fear and submission to courage, freedom, and self-confidence.

By burying the old version of himself, the author gained the armour of courage thanks to the past pain. The series consists of 2 parts: transformation and life after.

The second part of the story is an embodiment of bright images, aspirations, courage, acceptance of oneself, confidence, unity, freedom, and love in which the artist puts himself in the first place, defending his boundaries, and boldly expressing his feelings and desires.

This project expresses progress from submission to determination and self-confidence, inviting viewers to witness the power born of vulnerability. The author aims to inspire others in their personal journey, getting inwards, finding strength, and self-love, protecting their boundaries, and taking all the best that life offers.

Find out more:

Website: leoke.nl

Instagram: @leoke.nl

Bjorn Staps

European Cowboy

EUROPEAN COWBOY is a project about a close-knit community of young cowboys in Europe. The men practice ‘bull riding’, part of the classic (American) rodeo and the most dangerous sport in the world. During the summer months, these men travel across Belgium, France, and Italy to pursue their dreams of freedom and heroism by participating in local rodeos.

For most of them, therefore, bullfighting is much more than a sport; it is part of a lifestyle in which they strive for a sincere and simple life in which man and animal live together without the constant flood of media, news, and society’s expectations. In part, their lifestyle also rests 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, films, and advertisements are interwoven with the harsh reality of individual dreams, friendship, and vulnerabilities of the real cowboys of Europe in their search for personal forms of identity, expression, and freedom.

Find out more:

Website: bjornstaps.nl

Instagram: @bjornstaps