Tyler Mitchell's High Museum exhibit "Idyllic Space" marks homecoming for photographer

Tyler Mitchell, the New York fashion photographer whose portrait of Beyoncé on the cover of Vogue made history, returns to his hometown to explore the concepts of family, domestic spaces and nature at The High Museum of Art.

Why it matters: The " Idyllic Space " exhibit marks a homecoming for Mitchell, whose clients include I-D Magazine and Louis Vuitton, and pulls from his formative years growing up in suburban Atlanta.

Zoom in: The collection of more than 30 works from 2017 to 2024 showcases Mitchell's commissioned and personal portraits visualizing the potential of a Black utopia .

• "Ancestors" is an image of a mother and daughter doing their hair while black-and-white photos of their parents and grandparents look on.
• Another standout, "Albany, Georgia," is a wide view portrait of children, teens, adults and seniors on a sand dune enjoying the small moments where deep bonds are built.

What they're saying: "All of my work sort of falls under this umbrella of being about ideas of play and joy against the backdrop of history in that way," Mitchell, who rocketed to fame at the age of 23 when he became the first Black photographer to shoot the cover of Vogue, told the AJC .

• "And as we know, being from Atlanta and the South becomes a very ripe landscape for that conversation."

The intrigue: Born in 1995 at Northside Hospital, Mitchell grew up in Marietta and attended Westminster but also became involved in the city's skateboarding scene, the AJC reported. The city's nature and open spaces greatly influenced his upbringing, he said.

Go deeper: Mitchell, who trained as a filmmaker, says Mark Steinmetz's " Greater Atlanta " and Arvarh E. Strickland's " Commitment : Fatherhood in Black America" and other photographic publications helped inspire the works.

Go: The exhibit opens Friday night and runs through Dec. 1.

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