Memories of Dust

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jan 5

Photographer Alex Bex interrogates the cowboy myth and the codes of traditional masculinity. Immersed in ranching communities, the project reveals vulnerability behind the archetype, questioning how images shape manhood in a society undergoing profound cultural change today, urgently, and without nostalgia.

Photography Alex Bex

Memories of Dust is a post-documentary photographic project that explores the codes of traditional masculinity in his home state of Texas. Alex questions the figure of the cowboy, a male icon shaped by the media, and its place within an American society undergoing profound transformation.

At a time when masculinist discourse and so-called “traditional” values are regaining influence, examining classic male representations has become essential. Bex’s work highlights the impact of images on the construction of gender stereotypes. He revisits the visual language of the Western and plays with the cowboy archetype to reveal its contradictions and limitations.

As a major symbol of North America, the cowboy has left a lasting mark on the Western ideal of manhood. The hero of a childhood is still glorified in popular culture as the embodiment of the “real man”: the strong silent type, lonesome, self-reliant, and impervious to emotion.

By travelling across Texas and immersing himself in the daily lives of the ranching community, Alex seeks to move beyond this fixed image. His photographs focus on ordinary gestures and moments of vulnerability among men that are rarely shown, offering a more honest and nuanced perspective on the contemporary rancher.

Through this project, he observes how the male traits that shaped him are transformed through each image he creates. By revisiting the narrative of an influential icon, Bex documents his evolving relationship with masculinity to encourage meaningful conversations about its changing role.

Memories of Dust is multidisciplinary. The project includes quotes from recorded conversations with ranchers, about topics such as the myth of the cowboy and masculinity in Texas.

You can listen to them here.

“A male icon shaped by the media, and its place within an American society undergoing profound transformation.”

About Alex

Alex Bex (b. 1993) is a French-Texan photographer based in Berlin. His work explores the impact of popular visual media on traditional representations, particularly focusing on masculinity and its social construction. Through his photography, he engages with the cultural narratives he was brought up with to study and challenge them.

Starting as a self-taught photographer, Alex was frequently involved in the film and music industries for press purposes. These experiences have deepened his interest in the power and complexities of media representation within his work.

Most recently, his long-term project Memories of Dust won the 2024 Booooooom Photo Award, received the 2025 RPS Documentary Photography Award, and was named a finalist in the Documentary category of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards. His work has been featured in Réponses Photo, Fisheye Magazine, and It’s Nice That, among other media outlets

To see more of his work, visit his website or follow him on Instagram

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Memories of Dust

“A male icon shaped by the media, and its place within an American society undergoing profound transformation.”

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