Horses, 2011

The photographs composing Iván Argote’s Horses series depict equestrian sculptures in the public sphere in Paris and New York, shown without their famous riders. This alteration shifts the connotation of these sculptures, which are traditionally associated with conquest and military or political power. Speaking about the series, the artist explains: “They [the riders] are there to remind us that we belong to a nation, a history, a tradition. By removing the heroes, what we see are simply images of horses in the wild, yet holding mannered, even kitsch poses.”