EUSA

EUSA (2008 – 2015)

Artist Statement

My project EUSA documents American-themed places in Europe and European-themed places in America. I began this project in June 2008 photographing High Chaparrel, a wild-west theme park in southern Sweden. Since then I’ve visited nearly thirty locations on both sides of the Atlantic including ‘Indian’ festivals in Germany; a Tulip Festival in Orange City, Iowa; an American Civil War reenactment in the Czech Republic; a Maifest in Leavenworth, Washington; numerous Oktoberfests around the United States, and a variety of ‘Cowboy and Indian’ amusement parks throughout Europe.

In the U.S. these ‘European’ venues resemble a land of make-believe, like something out of a fairy-tale. They are magical, whimsical and quaint. In Europe these American-themed amusement parks and festivals reveal an ongoing enthusiasm for a mythologized ‘America’ of the past, when the U.S. was considered glorious and free, a place of fresh starts and opportunities. In many ways the premise for these locations is to pay homage to another culture, but what was once characteristic has now ultimately become caricature.

Photographing these fascinating locations across these two continents my goal was to illustrate the enthusiasm we have for one another’s culture and heritage. These exaggerated reconstructions bear little authenticity, and rather are a perception of fantasy, a sense of what the other wishes the reality to be. And through a spirit of camaraderie, if only for a moment, the participants are granted membership to another’s culture.

Availability & Pricing

Current prices range from $500 – $2,500 depending on size, and increase as the edition sells.
Please contact the gallery for more information, including current availability and pricing.

EXHIBITIONS

EUSA, Circuit Gallery, Toronto, Canada – 2015
EUSA, Athens Photo Festival, Athens, Greece – 2015
EUSA, Fotofestiwal, International Festival of Photography in Łódź, Poland – 2015