Cosmo Whyte

Cosmo Whyte

b. 1982, St. Andrew Parish, Jamaica
lives in Atlanta

Cosmo Whyte explores the history of migration through a variety of mediums, including drawing, performance, and sculpture. His process begins with his memories of the ways identity is shaped by paths of migration. His work weaves his personal narrative with a larger consideration of colonization of the Caribbean, as well as the contemporary social and political circumstances of the region, with a particular focus on Jamaica. Whyte has exhibited his works in the United States, Jamaica, Norway, England, France, and South Africa. He has been the recipient of the Art Matters Award (2019), The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award (2019), the Working Artist Award (2018), The Drawing Center's Open Sessions Fellowship (2018), Artadia Award (2016) and the Edge Award (2010). Recent exhibitions include Beneath Its Tongue, the Fish Rolls the Hook to Sharpen Its Cadence, Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta (2019); Get Up Stand Up The Summerset House, London, UK (2019); Intermittent Rivers, 13th Havana Biennial Matanzas, Cuba (2019), the Jamaica Biennial (2017) and the Atlanta Biennial, Atlanta Contemporary (2016). Whyte earned a BFA from Bennington College, Vermont, and an MFA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is currently a professor at Morehouse College, Atlanta.

Cosmo Whyte, Kiss Mi Neck Back, 2017. Charcoal and gold leaf on paper, 52 x 51 inches. Courtesy of the artist