Tyler Mitchell's "Idyllic Space" beautifully displays the essence of blackness
Tyler Mitchell is an American photographer and filmmaker born in Atlanta, GA, currently based in Brooklyn, NY. He became the first black artist to shoot the cover of Vogue magazine and became widely known for the September 2018 issue, which featured the one and only Beyoncé. While he may be best known for that work, his other works are worth knowing and seeing.
On June 20, 2024, The High Museum of Art in Atlanta welcomed its members for a preview day of Tyler Mitchell’s homecoming exhibition, Idyllic Space- and of course, I had to be there to get a first glimpse. Featuring works from 2017 to 2024, this exhibition is simply captivating from beginning to end. Mitchell explores themes of family, rest, companionship, southern landscapes, and play, inspired by suburban Atlanta, where he was raised.
The High Museum’s acquisition of Mitchell’s photographic work on mirror, “The Hewitt Family” was the inspiration for The High’s decision to organize this exhibition, which is Mitchell’s first exhibition in Atlanta, as well as The High’s first-ever full photography show in the Stent Wing’s Special Exhibition Galleries. From the time he started showing his works at various museums and galleries, showing at The High became a huge goal for Mitchell. While putting this exhibition together with curators Maria L. Kelly and Michael Rooks, Mitchell reflected: “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.”
This exhibition beautifully documents and displays the essence of blackness through each theme explored. The exhibition is curated in a way that takes you from one theme to another- from Southern Landscape, Play and Support, Formal Portraiture, and Family. The exhibition also includes a video installation, entitled Idyllic Space (2019), which invites viewers to rest and recline on gingham print bean bag chairs situated on turf grass, surrounded by a white picket fence. The 12-minute, 45-second video is projected onto the ceiling, emulating, for the viewers, the feeling of laying outside looking at the sky. The video highlights young black men engaging in light-hearted activities, such as eating ice cream, riding tricycles, swimming, and just enjoying life with friends. Through this video installation, Mitchell displays normal activities that are taken for granted by many people and a “compelling reminder that Black people have historically been denied these moments of leisure, play, and delight.” In addition to the video installation, a few of my favorites from this exhibition were Albany, Georgia (2021), All American Portrait (2018), and Nap (2021).
Tyler Mitchell’s Idyllic Space officially opens at The High Museum on June 21, 2024, and will be open through December 1, 2024. If you will be in Atlanta any time during the run of this exhibition, I encourage you to add it to your list of things to do- you won’t be disappointed.