New Photo Exhibition Featuring Atlanta Native, Tyler Mitchell, Debuts at the High
Experience Mitchell's first exhibition in Atlanta and enjoy new work on view for the first time
07/03/2024
BY GABI RAMIREZ
A Story of Homecoming
The High Museum’s latest exhibition titled, “Tyler Mitchell: Idyllic Space” is more than just a breathtaking display of the trailblazing photographic artist and filmmaker’s work. For Mitchell, this opening is a homecoming.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Mitchell rose to global acclaim when he photographed Beyoncé for the September 2018 issue of Vogue. This accomplishment distinguished him as the first Black artist to photograph the magazine's cover.
Now, this exhibition marks a different kind of milestone in the photographer’s career, his first exhibition in Atlanta.
“It’s a pure joy to present my work in collaboration with the brilliant curators Maria L. Kelly and Michael Rooks at the High Museum of Art – the very museum I grew up going to as a child – whose exhibitions left a formative impact on me far before I recognized the possibility of becoming an artist,” said Mitchell. “I am proud to present this work for the people and the city that shaped me.”
About Idyllic Space
"Tyler Mitchell: Idyllic Space” includes more than 30 photographs within four key sections, all examining themes of masculinity, motherhood, domesticity, play, rest, and the natural world. These sections are entitled:
- Southern Landscape
- Play and Support
- Formal Portraiture
- Family
Many of the works in this collection are inspired by the landscapes, homes, and communities of suburban Atlanta in which Mitchell grew up. And a new photo-sculptural artwork created for the exhibition features more than 20 Atlanta-area families, including Mitchell’s own family.
“To put together this presentation feels like an offering of who I am to the community,” said Mitchell. “A lot of these works were sort of made and shown in New York or other places in reference to Atlanta, so they were almost me working from memories of what my time growing up here was. I haven’t lived here for 11 years, so that’s also why the work has this quality of looking back, reflecting, and re-constructing memories.”
When asked about this reflective experience, Mitchell shared, "It’s not so much about making a document of this place so much as evoking a psychological space about it. I’m curious what the people who live here, spend time here, and experience this city on a daily basis, will think of this work.”
Alongside Mitchell’s photographs, the exhibition features a single-channel video installation, also titled “Idyllic Space” (2019). Viewers are invited to recline on gingham bean bag chairs while viewing Mitchell’s lyrical images of young Black men enjoying seemingly mundane activities such as eating ice cream and swimming in pools — “a joyous representation that contrasts historically denied pleasures,” as noted by the exhibition.
Also on view will be pieces from Mitchell’s fashion work, including images he shot for Vogue, Louis Vuitton and others.
Experience Mitchell’s Work in Person
"Tyler Mitchell: Idyllic Space” is on view now until December 1, 2024. For more exhibition information, visit the High’s exhibition page. Museum tickets can be purchased here.
The High Museum will also be hosting programming at its July 17 Access for All free day as well as a public talk with the artist to be held in September.
