Lauren Comly

artist statement

The process of sitting for a photographic portrait is not for everyone. Unfamiliar, intimate, invasive, affirming, it is a singular experience between photographer and subject in which both work to create an image with enough specificity to contain time and communicate across it. For over a year, I have been making portraits of skaters in my local roller derby league, a group of women bound together by dedication to a physically demanding amateur sport and disinterest in convention. I am intrigued by team membership, particularly when the sport is as widely misunderstood and steeped in mystique as roller derby is. Yet, what most captivates me is the individual athlete, the individual expression of femininity. Skating with Others references derby’s unique combination of spectacle and sport as a thrilling point of departure for portrait making.

what do you love about the MFA program at Syracuse University?

We have a fantastic faculty and I am really happy to be studying with them. Doug Dubois, Laura Heyman, Yasser Aggour and Susannah Sayler all actively exhibit nationally and internationally. I think that their involvement in the art world cultivates an honest criticality, some competition, and an energy that benefits us students. Their perspectives and experiences really help us move our projects along. I would also like to mention Light Work, in every way an incredible resource for photographic artists. Light Work is affiliated with the university and many of us graduate students spend hours there weekly.

anticipated graduation date: May 2014

Lauren Comly, Headshot #4, 2012

Lauren Comly, Headshot #11, 2011

Lauren Comly, Miriam / Momo-A-Gogo, 2012

Lauren Comly, Julia / Mother Pucker, 2012

Lauren Comly, Rosemary / Zebra Muscles, 2012