What do you do when everyday images do not resemble you or your close ones, appearance-wise? Tyler Mitchell, a 26-year-old american photographer, took inspiration and created his own so-called ‘black utopia’. His photography is a direct answer to the lack of black models used in art and fashion photography these days. Mitchell was launched into stardom when he shot Beyonce for the cover of the September issue of Vogue. With the September issue being the most important issue of the magazine, and him only being 23 years old at the time, Mitchell made sure his name was one to remember. In his photography he depicts the careless freedom of youth, as has been done many times before him, only with black models. By doing so, he creates a reflection of his own life and that of many others like him who have been missing in photography for a long time.
Mob I, from the series Albus © Justin Dingwall courtesy of the artist
Two of Mitchells photographs (Rose Lick & Boys of Walthamstow) are currently on display at Foam here in Amsterdam, as part of the exhibition Adorned – The Fashionable Show. This exhibition presents intriguing fashion-related photography projects all created by young artists. Even though all their work has got something to do with fashion, these artists are not fashion photographers. They take fashion as an opportunity to express their own identity and create a certain sense of freedom, as well as a way to make political and social statements. In other words, appearance plays a big part, but the underlying message is what really matters.
Untitled, form the series Our Tribe, 2018 © The Sartists/ courtesy of the artists
Mitchell his photos draw me in when entering the exhibition: the colours in his photos are so vibrant and the light so appealing that it makes me feel happy just looking at these photos. Besides the general beauty of his photos, the idea of creating a black utopia seems like a very important thing to do. By only using black models, Mitchell makes it very evident that there is a huge lack of black models in modern-day photography, something a lot of the visitors of the exhibition would probably never have thought about. This is what makes Mitchell’s work so strong: not only are his photos very pleasing to look at, he also makes you realize that something has been missing for a long time.
The exhibition Adorned -The Fashionable Show is on display until March 11th, 2020 at Foam, Amsterdam.
What do you do when everyday images do not resemble you or your close ones, appearance-wise? Tyler Mitchell, a 26-year-old american photographer, took inspiration and created his own so-called ‘black utopia’. His photography is a direct answer to the lack of black models used in art and fashion photography these days. Mitchell was launched into stardom when he shot Beyonce for the cover of the September issue of Vogue. With the September issue being the most important issue of the magazine, and him only being 23 years old at the time, Mitchell made sure his name was one to remember. In his photography he depicts the careless freedom of youth, as has been done many times before him, only with black models. By doing so, he creates a reflection of his own life and that of many others like him who have been missing in photography for a long time.
Mob I, from the series Albus © Justin Dingwall courtesy of the artist
Two of Mitchells photographs (Rose Lick & Boys of Walthamstow) are currently on display at Foam here in Amsterdam, as part of the exhibition Adorned – The Fashionable Show. This exhibition presents intriguing fashion-related photography projects all created by young artists. Even though all their work has got something to do with fashion, these artists are not fashion photographers. They take fashion as an opportunity to express their own identity and create a certain sense of freedom, as well as a way to make political and social statements. In other words, appearance plays a big part, but the underlying message is what really matters.
Untitled, form the series Our Tribe, 2018 © The Sartists/ courtesy of the artists
Mitchell his photos draw me in when entering the exhibition: the colours in his photos are so vibrant and the light so appealing that it makes me feel happy just looking at these photos. Besides the general beauty of his photos, the idea of creating a black utopia seems like a very important thing to do. By only using black models, Mitchell makes it very evident that there is a huge lack of black models in modern-day photography, something a lot of the visitors of the exhibition would probably never have thought about. This is what makes Mitchell’s work so strong: not only are his photos very pleasing to look at, he also makes you realize that something has been missing for a long time.
The exhibition Adorned -The Fashionable Show is on display until March 11th, 2020 at Foam, Amsterdam.
