Athletes in Unconventional Spaces

Athletes in Unconventional Spaces highlights the tension between physical bodies and the environments they inhabit. Ongoing since 2013, the series by Cincinnati-based photographer Romain Mayambi creates layered photographic portraits that place athletic movement within unexpected urban and architectural settings, including empty rooftops, abandoned buildings, parking garages, and suburban landscapes. Using a distinctive hybrid approach that merges analog and digital photography, Mayambi juxtaposes strength, motion, and stillness, inviting viewers to reconsider the boundaries of performance, both physical and visual. 

In partnership with ArtWorks/1001 Colors, Cincinnati Parks, and Pickleball at Sawyer Point, Mayambi presents an outdoor exhibition that brings the series into the public realm. The public art display features photographs from Athletes in Unconventional Spaces that emphasize endurance across time and space. Together, the installation explores themes of displacement, belonging, and resilience, offering a powerful meditation on bodies in motion beyond traditional arenas.