Jamal Cyrus: The End of My Beginning

Client: Mississippi Museum of Art

Exhibition on view October 29, 2022–March 3, 2023

Organized by the Blaffer Art Museum in Houston, Texas, Jamal Cyrus: The End of My Beginning includes approximately fifty works by the multidisciplinary artist, whose work explores the evolution of African American identity within Black political movements and the African diaspora. The title graphic creates a strong starting point to indicate the power of the artwork on view. Symmetry’s exhibition design organizes the artwork thematically, encouraging visitors to discover connections across pieces. Each work is dense with content, at times somber. White walls allow necessary space for consumption and contemplation. An accent blue references both regality and commonality (with similarities to denim, a material often used by the artist), while a central area features raisin-colored walls that tie together the Cyrus’s three Pride Records installations. Symmetry’s designs for in-gallery engagement areas use elements from the exhibition to showcase touch boards, a magnet board activity, and a poetry exercise that encourage deeper understanding of the artist’s process and materials.