Cosmo Whyte (b. 1982, St. Andrew, Jamaica) employs drawing, sculpture, and photography to explore the intersections of race, nationalism, and displacement. His large scale drawings pose the celebratory body of Jamaican and diasporic communities in states of jubilation. His figures, adorned with gold leaf and black glitter, defy their colonial past, tearing it from their bodies through unbridled dance.
Whyte received a BFA from Bennington College, a post-baccalaureate at Maryland Institute College of Art, and a MFA from University of Michigan. Whyte has exhibited his work widely including, the 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba (2019), as well as the Atlanta Biennial (2016) and the Jamaica Biennial (2017). In 2019 he had a solo exhibition at MOCA Georgia, Beneath Its Tongue, The Fish Rolls The Hook To Sharpen Its Cadence, curated by Allison Glenn, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. He has also participated in exhibitions at The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA (2019); The Drawing Center, New York, NY (2019); The Somerset House, London, UK (2019); Museum of Latin American Art, Los Angeles, CA (2017); Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta, GA (2016); Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France (2016); and the National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica (2014). His work is in the permanent collection of the High Museum, Atlanta, GA. Whyte is the Visual Art Program Director at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA where he lives and works.
When They Aren’t Looking We Gather By The River, November 7, 2020 – January 9, 2021
Home is Not a Place, June 8 – July 13, 2019
Cosmo Whyte
Education
Solo Exhibitions
Group Exhibitions
Awards
Press
Teaching
Residencies
Lectures & Presentations
Cosmo Whyte (b. 1982, St. Andrew, Jamaica) employs drawing, sculpture, and photography to explore the intersections of race, nationalism, and displacement. His large scale drawings pose the celebratory body of Jamaican and diasporic communities in states of jubilation. His figures, adorned with gold leaf and black glitter, defy their colonial past, tearing it from their bodies through unbridled dance.
Whyte received a BFA from Bennington College, a post-baccalaureate at Maryland Institute College of Art, and a MFA from University of Michigan. Whyte has exhibited his work widely including, the 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba (2019), as well as the Atlanta Biennial (2016) and the Jamaica Biennial (2017). In 2019 he had a solo exhibition at MOCA Georgia, Beneath Its Tongue, The Fish Rolls The Hook To Sharpen Its Cadence, curated by Allison Glenn, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. He has also participated in exhibitions at The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA (2019); The Drawing Center, New York, NY (2019); The Somerset House, London, UK (2019); Museum of Latin American Art, Los Angeles, CA (2017); Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta, GA (2016); Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France (2016); and the National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica (2014). His work is in the permanent collection of the High Museum, Atlanta, GA. Whyte is the Visual Art Program Director at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA where he lives and works.
When They Aren’t Looking We Gather By The River, November 7, 2020 – January 9, 2021
Home is Not a Place, June 8 – July 13, 2019
Cosmo Whyte
Education
Solo Exhibitions
Group Exhibitions
Awards
Press
Teaching
Residencies
Lectures & Presentations