THE ABSTRACTION OF SPORTS (LONG-TERM PROJECT)
Artist Statement:
I photograph sports.
My world consists of constant split attention and live event pressures. I live in a state of high-stakes awareness, held back by institutional and commercial restraints, where the ball, the athlete, the bench, and the crowd are continuously in focus. Simultaneously, I switch intentions between brand representation and expected action shots (the layup, the celebration, the huddle) to that of finding and making sports a universal experience through anonymity and reduction, while still showcasing atmosphere, intensity, and competition.
I shoot digital and film photography. From different vantage points to slow shutter drags, I strip sports down to the fundamental ideas of movement, subject, and setting, adapting to every unexpected situation and still covering everything on a given shotlist.
I photograph sports because of these pressures and limitations. I create images that move beyond the immediacy of sports, and invite longer looking. By reframing familiar action imagery, my work creates photographs that feel long-lasting and deepen the relationship between athlete, event, and viewer.
- Miya Tanner
(the work shown below is only a small sample of a larger body of work)
