"Tyler Mitchell's first solo exhibition in France reflects on a decade of practice by an artist who has introduced new visual narratives of Black life, centring beauty, intimacy and empowerment as everyday realities. Tracing nearly a decade of creation, it shows how Mitchell, one of the most striking voices of his generation, explores themes of utopia, memory and intimacy through representations of Black life."
"As a teenager in Atlanta, Mitchell discovered visual culture through skateboarding and social media, particularly Tumblr, and began exploring photography's creative potential. His early images, showing young Black people in moments of carefreeness and play, formed a practice that was both intimate and communal. Immersed in Tumblr's eclectic aesthetic, Mitchell absorbed an unexpected mix of art history and contemporary culture"
"Against the backdrop of increasing violence against Black men, and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement following the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's killer in 2013, these suspended moments of leisure and light also functioned as acts of self-protection brief reprieves of freedom and joy in a world marked by the constant threat of violence In the historic Black neighbourhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, Mitchell brought together friends and relatives to create these works."
Wish This Was Real at MEP Paris (open until 25 January 2026) traces nearly a decade of Mitchell's work centring new visual narratives of Black life focused on beauty, intimacy and empowerment. The exhibition examines themes of utopia, memory and intimacy through photographs and videos of young Black people in moments of play, carefreeness and communal care. Mitchell's practice grew from skateboarding and Tumblr influences, informed by Spike Jonze, i-D, Dazed and Ryan McGinley. Early photographic experiments staged spontaneous sessions with friends in parks and Bedford-Stuyvesant, transforming leisure and light into acts of self-protection amid rising violence and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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