Werner Segarra’s Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo invites audiences to peer into the world of the Northern Mexican Vaquero – not as a casual tourist, but as an intimate observer. With over 20 years of images of the Vaqueros, this project reflects a complex contemporary composition of the everyday life of the Vaquero. Realistic moments of how they view themselves, surrounded by the tools of their trade, intertwined with the realities of their existence – family, religion, tradition, culture, work, and animals – reflecting a legacy that reaches back over generations and is the birthplace of the modern Cowboy.
In a world that has never been more connected through mass media and where distinct cultures are increasingly becoming homogenized – Vaqueros de La Cruz del Diablo stands out as a contemporary, authentic reflection of a way of life that is on the brink of disappearing. Through his lens, Segarra combines elements of metaphoric composition and realism – not merely documenting the Vaquero, but bringing forward through his images both meaning and a celebration of his subjects and their way of life. The images in this collection are photographed in an Architectural Portrait style with the Vaqueros purposely situated in their context, without exaggeration, stage-effect, or overexposure. The images are intended to reveal intimate details of the subject’s environment, where the past and the present collide in the intricate features of Vaquero’s world.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
A professional photographer for more than 30 years, Segarra has participated in numerous group and individual exhibitions in various international galleries and museums. Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo showcases the lives and people Segarra has encountered by immersing himself in the Mexican cowboy world. Inspiration for his work comes from personal experience after living in various countries around the world during his childhood and adolescence. Knowledge acquired throughout those years cultivated Segarra’s artistic sensitivity and respect for native cultures. The most significant encounter and inspiration for this exhibition was a student exchange that took him to northern Mexico. That experience captivated and motivated him to transmit his love and respect for this culture and share it with the rest of the world.
Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo is supported in part by the Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992, the Betty Stieren Kelso Foundation, and the Texas Commission on the Arts, with special consideration to the Wyatt Family Foundation.
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Governor Dolph Briscoe and his wife Janey envisioned a Museum that would preserve the stories and traditions of the American West.
