Nick Tauro Jr. Captures Rodeo Backstage in Naples Exhibition

Photographer Nick Tauro Jr. presents 'Rodeo Nights' at Palazzo Caracciolo d'Avellino in Naples, exploring the backstage of rodeos at the New Mexico State Fair. The black-and-white images on ivory paper reveal the preparation, emotions, and fragility of cowboys, challenging the myth of the American cowboy as a symbol of strength and freedom. Tauro, a founder of the Latent Image Collective, focuses on intimate details like wearing sashes, stretching, and melancholy in the cowboys' eyes. The rodeo originated in 1872 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as a competition among cattle herders to attract buyers. The exhibition highlights the conservative, traditional values of rodeo culture in the US, Argentina, and Mexico.