Jen Osborne's Red West Is Eastern Europe's Rendition of the Wild West

Autre is honored to present an exclusive selection of images from photographer and documentarian Jen Osborne's incredible Red West series. "From 2011 until 2015, I photographed the elusive 'Indian Hobbyists' situated in Hungary, Poland, Russia, Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as film sets and stills from the popular Winnetou series and other Eastern European Native American films. The subjects in my series are not 'ethnically' First Nations, but Europeans who use cultural mirroring, as practiced heavily in the sixties and seventies, to claim 'Indianess,' as well as present themselves as sympathetic to Native Americans. This hobby was once used as a form of psychological escape from grueling dictatorships embraced behind the iron curtain." Right now Osborne is working on an incredibly important and exciting project documenting the lives of female soldiers in war torn Ukraine. Currently, she is looking to raise funds to continue this project - you can visit the Indiegogo page to make a pledge. Rewards include limited edition prints and even a private photography workshop. photographs by Jen Osborne