We don’t usually think of soldiers and athletes as being similarly driven. After all, the nature of their competitions is so very different. Yet, a closer look reveals fascinating parallels, made all the more intriguing when the athlete and the warrior are the same person.

 

In 2001, British photographers Jonathan Anderson and Edwin Low set out to study those training for both the sports field and the battlefield.  Jackson Fine Art is proud to exhibit a selection of photographs from Athlete/Warrior, the result of this nearly two-year study. This series illuminates the discipline one might expect from such dedicated individuals, and discovers a surprising transformation as track shows are traded for combat boots, baseball bats for assault rifles.

 

The project, which follows the duos heralded American Athletes exhibition shown at the United States Olympic Center Museum in 2001, took Anderson & Low to all three U.S. military academies in West Point, Annapolis, and Colorado Springs. They observed and documented each institution’s unique atmosphere through its cadets/athletes and architecture.

 

Over 200 black and white images offer two modern interpretations of an age-old iconography: the hero. Pride, determination and courage emanate from the subjects, whether they’re dressed for battle or athletic competition. But the subjects also project different personalities in different uniforms, a dichotomy, which Anderson & Low also explore.  Diptych and triptych presentations cast a skillful eye on inherent commonalities and subtle differences.

 

-Steve Anderson