Tanner Abel

PERSONA is an ongoing series of portraits glorifying my muses at their most magnificent. My images celebrate non-binary and alternative gender expressions, featuring subjects who possess an intangible superstar quality that has the ability to transcend outdated notions of beauty. I work with each subject to elaborate on my vision of them, often exaggerating their prominent features and using visual language including precisely chosen pop culture and art references to assert their individuality. Historically, the fashion industry and pop culture at large tend to incessantly borrow ideas from underground queer fixtures of New York City while simultaneously treating them as extras. My work dignifies them as the stars. The intention is to generate iconic imagery that monumentalizes queer creatives.