In his book about the Hell’s Angels, Hunter S. Thompson harshly demonstrated that the image of the American motorcycle gangs did not exclusivley derive from their outlaw attitude towards society, but that the media also played a crucial part in molding this image to suit certain political and financial interests, oftentimes by blowing certain incidents way out of proportion. Terror in post-WWII America had a different face from the one it has now, but the media response to it never changed. More than 40 years after the publication of Thompson’s book, the motorcycle gang still remains a symbol of resistance against the establishment, of freedom and liberty, but also of gang crime, violence, drug abuse and hate. Right now the city of Berlin is considering the outlawing of several motorcycle clubs.

When Swedish photographer Magnus Westerborn first started to venture into the world of the American motorcycle clubs many years ago, his approach was quite similar to Thompson’s. Since he wasn’t recieved with open arms, and had to gain the respect and trust of people that saw a certain image forced upon them by the media, he had to work very carefully, but also honestly and straightforwardly. But the bikers Westerborn became interested in aren’t your typical motorcycle gang. They call themselves the Christian Crusaders and they are neither a gang nor a club, but a ministry and consist of a wide spectrum of members, ranging from former drug addicts and ex-cons to businessmen and whole families. Founded in 1978 by Preacher Mike Arnold, this ministry attends bike rallies, rodeos and motorcycle swap meets and is most well-know for setting up the “Jericho Camp” at the annual Sturgis Bike Rally in South Dakota – a drug, alcohol and weapon-free camp where they try to help anyone that comes to them in need.  

Westerborn has beautifully documented this seemingly unfitting parallel world that has centered itself right in the heart of the American motorcycle universe with his camera and even though one might not agree with or might even be offended by the Christian approach and message of the Crusaders, Westerborn’s work still goes to show that within every culture there exists space for every imaginable subculture, and it most certainly goes to show that there is always more than meets the eye. So see for yourself at the lovely Black Jim Gallery in Kreuzberg, Berlin.