Tyler Mitchell at the Photo Elysée in Lausanne

At just 23 years old, he achieved what others dream of for a lifetime: Tyler Mitchell shot the cover of American Vogue in 2018, with none other than Beyoncé in front of the lens. This made him the first Black cover photographer in the magazine’s 130-year history. However, he is not only known for his fashion photography and the stars he gets in front of his camera, but also for his sensitive images of the Black community. His exhibition “Wish This Was Real” is currently traveling around the world. After stops in Berlin and Helsinki, this overview of the photographer’s last ten years can be seen for the first time in Switzerland, at the Photo Elysée in Lausanne.

Tyler Mitchell, Albany, Georgia, 2021, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery © Tyler Mitchell

Tyler Mitchell, Curtain Call, 2018, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery © Tyler Mitchell

Tyler Mitchell, The root of all that lives, 2020, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery © Tyler Mitchell

Tyler Mitchell, Untitled (Red Steps), Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery © Tyler Mitchell

He gets them all: Tyler Mitchell’s lens not only captures stars such as Beyoncé and Harry Styles, but also strangers he meets on the street and family members whom he sensitively stages. Anyone who is as strong in art and portrait photography as they are in fashion photography will have a stellar career. With his style, Tyler Mitchell contributes to the way Black people are portrayed and perceived. “Wish This Was Real” is the photographer’s first solo exhibition in Switzerland. If you miss it or want to see it a second time: next stop is Paris.

Tyler Mitchell, Motherlan Skating, 2019, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery © Tyler Mitchell

Tyler Mitchell, Untitled (Topanga II), 2017, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery © Tyler Mitchell

Tyler Mitchell, Untitled (Sisters on the Block), 2021, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery © Tyler Mitchell

Tyler Mitchell, Untitled (Blue Laundry Line), 2019, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery © Tyler Mitchell

Tyler Mitchell. Wish This Was Real.

Photo Elysée
Place de la Gare 17, 1003 Lausanne, Switzerland
28.3. – 17.8.2025

elysee.ch

Want to immerse yourself in more creative worlds? We can’t get enough of Lois Cohen and Indiana Roma Voss’ work.

Everything about Tyler Mitchell’s exhibition – and what else is going on at the Photo Elysée – can be found here.