Inside Tyler Mitchell’s Comeback Exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta – Garden & Gun

Before Tyler Mitchell photographed Beyoncé for Vogue in 2018 (becoming the first black photographer to shoot the magazine’s cover) and before working with brands like Gucci and Marc Jacobs, he documented scenes of youth culture in Atlanta. Today, the Marietta, Georgia, native who calls New York home has his own photography exhibit at the High Museum of Art, a place he remembers visiting as a child.

In keeping with Mitchell’s reputation for exploring intimate and surprising moments of black empowerment, Idyllic space features thirty photographs of his subjects at play, at home, and enjoying the natural world. “The exhibition emphasizes the pervasive role of photography in our daily lives, from family portraits displayed in domestic contexts that tell the story of one’s lineage to moments of levity captured with friends,” says assistant curator of photography Maria L. Kelly. In one image, two women stand back to back, simultaneously supporting and leaning on each other. In another, children play in the sand. A video installation projects onto the ceiling images of young black men engaging in everyday activities like eating ice cream and swimming, simple pleasures that have historically been denied them.

Mitchell’s Atlanta upbringing also shines through. “The deep greens that permeate many images reflect Atlanta’s title as a ‘city in the forest,’ with the largest canopy of trees of any major urban area in the United States,” says Kelly. Additionally, Mitchell created a photo-sculptural work for the exhibition consisting of images of twenty Atlanta-area families who are members of the Black Youth Leadership Organization. Jack and Jill of Americawhich he himself participated in growing up.

But the intimacy and joy of photographs should be celebrated by all. “The carefully composed images invite the viewer to connect moments of connection, care, and play from their own lives to the scenarios depicted in the photographs,” says Kelly. Below, check out six images from the exhibition, which runs until December 1st.