ExhibitionsTyler Mitchell: Idyllic Space
Current Exhibition

Tyler Mitchell: Idyllic Space

June 21 – December 1, 2024

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Tyler Mitchell is an American photographer and filmmaker renowned for his tender and innovative portrayals that center Black self-determination and empowerment through scenes of love, leisure, and camaraderie. Mitchell rose to global prominence in 2018 when he photographed Beyoncé for the September issue of Vogue as the first Black artist to shoot the cover in the magazine’s then 126-year history. He explores style, beauty, and identity through playfully theatrical, expressive photographs that seamlessly blend his fashion and conceptual work.

Drawing inspiration from the landscapes, homes, and communities of suburban Atlanta where he was raised, this homecoming exhibition features work made from 2017 to 2024 and considers Mitchell’s exploration of themes such as family lineage, play, companionship, the natural world, and domestic spaces. His lens captures the essence of relationships, weaving an intimate narrative of shared experiences.

All works of art are by Tyler Mitchell (American, born 1995) unless otherwise noted.

I aim to visualize what a Black utopia looks like or could look like. People say utopia is never achievable, but I love photography’s possibility of allowing me to dream and make that dream become very real.

—Tyler Mitchell, I Can Make You Feel Good

Ancestors, 2021
Pigmented inkjet print
Courtesy of the artist

Albany, Georgia, 2021
Pigmented inkjet print
Courtesy of the artist

Men in suits play with children on a sand dune.

Untitled (Trust), 2018
Pigmented inkjet print
Courtesy of the artist

Two individuals are posing creatively against a corrugated metal wall. One wears a red dress and red leggings, while the other wears a blue dress, blue leggings, and blue outerwear. They are holding hands, with their bodies arched and leaning backward. The ground is covered in dry grass.

The Hewitt Family, 2021
Assemblage of photographs on aged mirror
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with funds from John Auerbach, 2022.29

A collage of photographs on a textured cream-colored background. Images depict various groups of people standing and sitting, showcasing family and social scenes. The photos are arranged around the edges, with a large empty space in the center.

Untitled (Brothers of Suburbia), 2021
Pigmented inkjet print
Courtesy of the artist

Tyler Mitchell (born 1995, Albany, Georgia) is a photographer and filmmaker best known for his portrayals of Black identity in bucolic landscapes. His practice foregrounds the slow sensibility of Southern culture while prompting consideration of the denied history of Black people in the region. Documented and real, or fictitious and staged, Mitchell’s images are characterized by an interest in purity and intimacy. In them, models recline, embrace each other, and peer into the lens of his camera with what Mitchell has termed an honest gaze.

This exhibition is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

With generous support from

Premier Exhibition Series Sponsor 

Premier Exhibition Series Supporters

Mr. Joseph H. Boland, Jr.

Ambassador Exhibition Series Supporters

Loomis Charitable Foundation
Mrs. Harriet H. Warren

Ambassador Exhibition Sponsor

Contributing Exhibition Series Supporters 

Farideh and Al Azadi
Mary and Neil Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. Baxter Jones
Megan and Garrett Langley
Margot and Danny McCaul
Wade A. Rakes II and Nicholas Miller
Belinda Stanley-Majors and Dwayne Majors

Generous support is also provided by  

Alfred and Adele Davis Exhibition Endowment Fund, Anne Cox Chambers Exhibition Fund, Barbara Stewart Exhibition Fund, Dorothy Smith Hopkins Exhibition Endowment Fund, Eleanor McDonald Storza Exhibition Endowment Fund, The Fay and Barrett Howell Exhibition Fund, Forward Arts Foundation Exhibition Endowment Fund, Helen S. Lanier Endowment Fund, John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Exhibition Endowment Fund, Katherine Murphy Riley Special Exhibition Endowment Fund, Margaretta Taylor Exhibition Fund, RJR Nabisco Exhibition Endowment Fund, and USI Insurance Services.