Featuring new work on view for the first time
“Tyler Mitchell: Idyllic Space” June 21-Dec. 1, 2024
ATLANTA, March 12, 2024 — This summer, the High Museum of Art will present “Tyler Mitchell: Idyllic Space” (June 21-Dec. 1, 2024), a major exhibition featuring the trailblazing photographic artist and filmmaker’s seamless blend of fine art and fashion photography, along with a new photo-sculptural artwork. Mitchell (American, born 1995) centers Black self-determination and empowerment in his practice with affirmative images of people who are often shown enjoying the freedom of leisure, play and recreation.
“Idyllic Space” is a homecoming for the Atlanta native, who ascended to global prominence when he photographed Beyoncé for the September 2018 issue of Vogue — the first Black artist to shoot the cover in the magazine’s history. Organized by the High’s photography and modern and contemporary art departments, the exhibition was inspired by the museum’s recent acquisition of Mitchell’s photographic work on mirror, “The Hewitt Family” (2021).
“Since achieving widespread recognition, Tyler Mitchell has continued to gain many deserved accolades for his beautiful and poignant photographs, which we are proud to present in his first exhibition in Atlanta,” said Rand Suffolk, the High’s director. “This collaboration among our curatorial staff is a testament to the connectivity in our collections and also exemplifies the museum’s commitment to celebrating artists from our region whose work is making an impact on a global scale.”
Mitchell reflected on the exhibition: “It’s a pure joy to present my work in collaboration with the brilliant curators Maria L. Kelly and Michael Rooks and 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. I am proud to present this work for the people and the city that shaped me.”
“Idyllic Space” will include more than 30 photographs considering Mitchell’s examination of themes such as masculinity, motherhood, domesticity, play, rest and the natural world. The playfully theatrical, expressive works explore style, beauty and identity; they delve into the profound themes of family and connection, capturing not just moments but the essence of relationships, and weave a narrative of love, intimacy and shared experiences. Many of the works are inspired by the landscapes, homes and communities of suburban Atlanta in which Mitchell grew up. Also on view will be examples of his fashion work, including images he shot for Vogue, Louis Vuitton and others.
A new photo-sculptural artwork created for the exhibition features more than 20 Atlanta-area families who are members of Jack and Jill of America. In his youth, Mitchell participated in the organization, which is dedicated to nurturing future African American leaders — an experience he now considers both foundational and a complicated aspect of his social upbringing and understanding of identity growing up in the American South.
Along with photographs, the exhibition will present a single-channel video installation, also titled “Idyllic Space” (2019), that invites the viewer to recline while viewing Mitchell’s lyrical images of young Black men enjoying seemingly mundane activities such as eating ice cream, swimming in pools and playing tag — a joyous representation that contrasts historically denied pleasures.
“There is a fluid reciprocity between his conceptual and fashion work,” notes Maria L. Kelly, the High’s assistant curator of photography. “We will explore the thoughtful connections throughout his practice in the exhibition and highlight the breadth of his career, which extends beyond photography to include multimedia work.”
“Tyler Mitchell: Idyllic Space” will be presented in the Special Exhibition Galleries on the second level of the High’s Stent Family Wing.
Exhibition Organization and Support
“Tyler Mitchell: Idyllic Space” is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta. Generous support for this exhibition is provided by Gucci. The exhibition is made possible by Premier Exhibition Series Sponsor Delta Air Lines, Inc.; Premier Exhibition Series Supporters Mr. Joseph H. Boland, Jr., Harry Norman Realtors, wish Foundation; Benefactor Exhibition Series Supporters Robin and Hilton Howell; Ambassador Exhibition Series Supporters Loomis Charitable Foundation, Mrs. Harriet H. Warren; ; Contributing Exhibition Series Supporters Farideh and Al Azadi, Mr. and Mrs. Baxter Jones, Megan and Garrett Langley, Margot and Danny McCaul, Wade A. Rakes II and Nicholas Miller; 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, USI Insurance Services.
About the High Museum of Art
Located in the heart of Atlanta, the High Museum of Art connects with audiences from across the Southeast and around the world through its distinguished collection, dynamic schedule of special exhibitions and engaging community-focused programs. Housed within facilities designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the High features a collection of more than 19,000 works of art, including an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American fine and decorative arts; major holdings of photography and folk and self-taught work, especially that of artists from the American South; burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculpture, new media and design; a growing collection of African art, with work dating from prehistory through the present; and significant holdings of European paintings and works on paper. The High is dedicated to reflecting the diversity of its communities and offering a variety of exhibitions and educational programs that engage visitors with the world of art, the lives of artists and the creative process. For more information about the High, visit www.high.org.
About Tyler Mitchell
Tyler Mitchell (b. 1995, Atlanta, Ga.) is an artist, photographer and filmmaker based in Brooklyn. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. His work introduces new narratives about Black beauty and desire, embracing themes of the past and creating fictionalized moments from the imagined future. The visual representation of Black life that his work puts forth emphasizes empowerment, play and self-determination.
Mitchell’s work is held in numerous private and public collections including the High Museum of Art; Brooklyn Museum; Detroit Institute of the Arts’ FOAM Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam; Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Pizzuti Collection of Columbus Museum of Art; National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC; and Cleveland Museum of Art.
Mitchell has worked editorially with magazines such as Vogue US, Vogue UK, W Magazine, Vanity Fair, WSJ Magazine, i-D Magazine and more. He has collaborated commercially with brands such as Gucci, Loewe, Ferragamo, Moncler, JW Anderson and Marc Jacobs.
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DIGITAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
Media contacts:
Marci Tate Davis
Manager of Public Relations
404-733-4585
marci.davis@high.org
Brittany Mizell
Public Relations Specialist
404-733-4423
brittany.mizell@high.org