Tyler Mitchell photographs and sculptures of Southern Black life
North Carolina Museum of Art, Winston-Salem (formerly SECCA) is proud to present Domestic Imaginaries, an exhibition of photographic prints and sculptures by artist, photographer, and filmmaker Tyler Mitchell, on view September 12 through December 29, 2024, in the Main Gallery at NCMA Winston-Salem. An opening reception with the artist will be held Thursday, September 12 from 6pm to 8pm.
In his most ambitious exhibition to date, Tyler Mitchell (born 1995, Atlanta) displays photographs innovatively printed on textiles in an immersive, laundry line installation alongside newly created “altar” sculptures. Strung from a zig-zagging clothesline, Threads of Memory is Mitchell’s latest iteration of the iconic form, consisting of over 40 unique textile prints. The hanging prints depict pastoral scenes and Black bodies, drawing inspiration from Gordon Parks’s photography and the landscape of the southeastern US, where Mitchell was born and raised. Complementing this dramatic, enveloping experience, Mitchell’s sculptures reference historic domestic objects with subtle alterations and embedded photographs to evoke memory and belonging in ways that are deeply personal.
“My work has been informed by narratives of how Black life connects to nature and to the outdoors, of what nature and the South and the Southern landscape means for Black people now and then,” Mitchell said. “This exhibition heightens that to a new degree. I like the idea of making images that offer an expanded lens of where Black life can reside. So, my work tries to center that as a place for meditative repose and leisure, as well as joy.”
The exhibition’s poetic nature articulates a sensitivity and attentiveness to the quieter moments of life and the potential beauty and transformation in things that may otherwise seem ordinary. Combining installation, sculpture, and photography, the artist invites us to consider our own relationship to the image, our environments, and each other.
Tyler Mitchell: Domestic Imaginaries was originally on view at SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia in Fall 2023. Tyler Mitchell: Domestic Imaginaries is organized by the SCAD Museum of Art.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Tyler Mitchell (born 1995, Atlanta, GA) is an artist, photographer, and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. He received a Bachelor of Arts in film and television from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2017. Mitchell’s work introduces new narratives about Black beauty and desire, embracing history while creating fictionalized moments for the imagined future. His images envision representations of Black life that emphasize play, empowerment, and self-determination.
Mitchell’s work is held in numerous private and public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; Brooklyn Museum, NY; Detroit Institute of the Arts, MI; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA; Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA; National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC; and the Cleveland Museum of Art, OH. He has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the world.
Mitchell’s photography has been published widely, including in Aperture, Vanity Fair, American and British Vogue, W, Wall Street Journal, and Zeit Magazin. He has collaborated commercially with brands such as Gucci, Loewe, Ferragamo, Moncler, JW Anderson, and Marc Jacobs.
