All Ladies - Kühe in Europa
The cow is a well-known figure throughout Europe, yet her real nature remains largely foreign to us.
The cow in a purple outfit is popular, much like the one that laughs - she is associated with fresh pastures and usually kept in the fridge, albeit in pieces only... She represents a consumer product that provides several raw materials: milk, meat, leather... As productive animals, cattle are appreciated for their physical force. When it comes to their ability to think, however, man is more likely to attribute intelligence to a horse than a cow, which is often considered an ordinary, foolish, even stupid animal.
While in faraway countries and cultures, the cow is revered and enjoys the status of a sacred, untouchable animal, the object of deference and veneration still today, most Europeans think of nothing other than food when they see a cow.
Ursula Böhmer has succeeded in expressing in her images the very condition that underlies this entire photography work, i.e. the respect of animals. The photographer has created portraits conveying a dignified objectivity that does not belittle or humanise the animal. She does not lose herself in the play of anthropomorphism and thus tells a story that is both simple and fascinating, namely that of the "cows in Europe".
The series "All Ladies. Kühe in Europa" by Ursula Böhmer is available in a book edited by Kehrer Verlag Heidelberg Berlin 2012.
English translation by Claire Weyland
Exhibition views
© CDI / Nico Patz