Memories of Dust

Alex Bex

2024 — Texas, USA

About this series

Memories of Dust is a project exploring traditional masculinity in my home state of Texas. I examine the cowboy, an important male figure shaped by popular culture, and its place in a fast-changing landscape.
In a time marked by the resurgence of masculinist values in Western societies, it is essential to rethink classic representations of masculinity and highlight the impact of visual media on gender constructs.
The cowboy remains a longstanding symbol of North America. This hero of my childhood is still romanticized by popular culture as the „real man“. The myth of the cowboy has played a major part in defining an ideal of Western manhood.
As I travel across Texas and spend time on ranches and at rodeos, I immerse myself in the daily life of the local ranching community. I learn about the realities of the cowboy and compare them to the conventions of the cultural myth. I capture images that offer a more honest perspective of the rancher, moments among men that are rarely represented, yet important to normalize. By including traditional symbols of the Western narrative in my photographs, I play with common representations of the cowboy and explore the boundaries of this male stereotype.
Through my project, I reflect on the concept of manhood I grew up with, and document my evolving relationship with masculinity to encourage meaningful conversations about its changing role.

Photographer: Alex Bex
Nationality: French – American
Based in: Berlin, Germany
Website:  alexbex.com
Instagram: @alxbx

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.
As a self-taught photographer, Alex is 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 Booooooom Photo Awards 2024 for the Portrait category, and was selected as a finalist in the Documentary category of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards.