Tyler James (b. 1992) is a photographer and cinematographer whose work probes the edges of solitude, memory, and emotional endurance. His images mine the quiet corners of the everyday—deserted streets, abandoned playgrounds, and dimly lit interiors—transforming them into meditative spaces where absence feels as palpable as presence. Rooted in the upheavals of his own life, James’ photographs carry the weight of the unspoken, the psychic residue of places and objects that hold more than they reveal.
With a meticulous eye for light and form, James creates images that hum with quiet tension. Shadows stretch, reflections distort, and the mundane becomes something sacred—imbued with layers of meaning that feel just out of reach. His compositions invite viewers to linger, to look again, and to find themselves in the spaces between what is seen and what is felt.
There’s a vulnerability in James’ work, an acknowledgment of life’s fragility and the resilience it demands. Each image becomes a reckoning, a small act of defiance against the erasure of the everyday. It is photography as memory and monument—a reminder that even the simplest spaces can carry the weight of a world.
CV
Exhibitions
2024 - Photo A-GoGo — Bakery Photographic Collective — Portland, ME
2024 - Group Exhibition — Bali Art Space 2024 — Superlative Gallery — Bali, Indonesia
2024 - Group Exhibition — “Beyond the Photograph” — RI Center for Photographic Arts — Providence, RI
2023 - Group Exhibition — “Text-ure 2023” — CICA Musem — Gyeonggi-do, Korea
2023 - Group Exhibition — NCOA “Aging Well for All” — Arlington, VA
2023 - Group Exhibition — SFA Texas National Art Competition — SFA University — Nacogdoches, TX
2023 - Group Exhibition — “Forever Framed” — NEAL DIGITAL Gallery — Beijing, China (documentation of show)
2023 - Group Exhibition — 2023 Pacific Northwest Drawers — Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts — Portland, OR
2022 - Group Exhibition — “New Years Yacht Party” — Obscura DAO — Oncyber.io
2022 - Group Exhibition — “13 to 30” — Soho Photo Gallery — Soho, NYC
2022 - Solo Exhibition — “Into the Night” — Narrowsburg Union Gallery — Narrowsburg, NY
2022 - Group Exhibition — “Artist Book Market” — Public Functionary Gallery — NE Mpls, MN
2022 - Group Exhibition — “People 2022” — Biafarin — Canada
2022 - Group Exhibition — “Emptiness 2022” — Biafarin — Canada
2022 - Group Exhibition — SUGOI x Sunrise Art Club #NFTNYC2022
2022 - Solo Presentation/Keynote — The Lower Drawer — Brooklyn, NYC
2021 - Group Exhibition — “HOME ‘21” — Lensculture
2020 - Group Exhibiton — NCOA “Aging Well for All” — Arlington, VA
2019 - Solo Exhibition — “Monochrome Minnesota” — Rafter Penthouse Gallery Space — Minneapolis, MN
2017 - Solo Exhibition — “Monochrome Minneapolis” — Wesley Andrews Gallery — Minneapolis, MN
2017 - Group Exhibition — RAW: Natural Born Artists — Chicago, IL
2017 - Group Exhibition — RAW: Natural Born Artists — Minneapolis, MN
2017 - Solo Exhibition — “Colors of Minnesota” — Sencha — Dinkytown, MN
2017 - Group Exhibition — “Made at MCAD 2017” — Minneapolis, MN
Publications
Lensculture HOME ‘21 Photobook
Hutspot Magazine — issue 04
Northeaster Newspaper — Vol. 42, No. 24
Star Tribune
MCAD Magazine
Leica Camera USA
Artists at Rafter Apartments - Book
Leicaphilia.com
Leicarumors.com
WCCO
Awards
Finalist — HOME ‘21 LensCulture Competition
Finalist — 2020 NCOA Aging Well for All
Winner — 2018 Made at MCAD Show — Best Newcomer