Cosmo Whyte Jamaican, b. 1982

Overview
Cosmo Whyte

"Migration is more than just a topical subject for me. It is personal, and I always start my inquiry through my personal experience. The migrant’s identity is one of fluidity and flux. That fluidity and flux are often framed as existential crises to the rigidity of national identity and its boundaries."

 

- Cosmo Whyte

Cosmo Whyte is a multi-disciplinary artist whose body of work navigates the complexities of identity, migration, and memory. Employing drawing, performance, and sculpture, Whyte explores the disrupted narratives inherent in migration—an ongoing process where the final destination remains uncertain.

His practice delves into the liminal space between the initial cultural disorientation and the gradual acclimatization of migrants. Through the interrogation of his own racialized and gendered body, along with personal memories, Whyte creates an archive that serves as an entry point into broader political dialogues. His works often reinterpret archival images of human injustice and agitation within the Caribbean and West African diaspora, challenging the context and contemplation of these images and their current replication.

Works
Biography
Cosmo Whyte
Cosmo Whyte

Cosmo Whyte (b. 1982, St. Andrew, Jamaica) received a BFA from Bennington College, a post-baccalaureate from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and an MFA from the University of Michigan. His work has been included in exhibitions in the U.S. and internationally from the early 2000s to the present day. Important group shows include the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL; The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; The Drawing Center, New York, NY; The Somerset House, London, UK; Museum of Latin American Art, Los Angeles, CA; Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta, GA; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; and the National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica.

 

Significant solo exhibitions of his work include the Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia, Atlanta, 2020; and the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego, 2020. His work has been featured in biennials such as Prospect.5 New Orleans, 2022; the 13th Havana Biennial; the Jamaica Biennial, 2017; and the Atlanta Biennial, 2016. His work is also included in notable collections such as the High Museum of Art, Atlanta; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; International African American Museum, Charlotte, NC; Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia; National Gallery of Jamaica; and the Pérez Art Museum Miami. In 2022, he joined the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture as an assistant professor. Whyte lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.

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