Tyler Mitchell’s First Solo Exhibition in NYC Had a Buzzy Downtown Debut

For the cool kids of New York’s art scene, the Lower East Side was the only place to be last night. The highly-anticipated U.S. debut of Tyler Mitchell’s first solo show “I Can Make You Feel Good” drew guests to the opening reception of the new International Photography Center downtown.

The exhibition, which debuted to the world at FOAM Amsterdam last spring, consists of Mitchell’s photography, video, and installation artwork, all organized around a central theme of “Black visual utopia.” It also features a new, 60 foot-long installation of Mitchell’s photographs, each printed on fabric and hung from a web of laundry lines. The laundry line is a recurring symbol in Mitchell’s work—previously seen in his unforgettable portrait of Beyoncé for the September 2018 issue of Vogue.

Mitchell spoke to the visual thesis of “I Can Make You Feel Good,” in conversation with Studio Museum director Thelma Golden at Vogue’s 2019 Forces of Fashion summit, citing the impact of the work of photographers Larry Clark and Ryan McGinley on his call to action within the medium. “A lot of what I felt was lacking in those pictures I’d see on Tumblr was myself,” he told Golden. “I love Larry Clark’s pictures—and Ryan McGinley’s—but I thought that I was missing the black body within those images, seeing the black body as something that was either expressive, sensitive, or just free.”

“I Can Make You Feel Good,” fills that void, all allowing the viewer a glimpse at the beauty Mitchell himself is continually inspired by.

Among those in attendance last night were artist Amy Sherald, Mark Seliger. Marisa Tomei, Questlove, and Mitchell's own mother. Throughout the opening, the young photographer was surrounded by museum-goers offering their congratulations. It's safe to say that last night, everyone was feeling good. Especially at the after-party, which took place at the nearby No Bar and ran till 2:00 a.m.