Atrium Artspace proudly presents Back to the Real World, a multimedia journal documenting Mike Byson’s travels through Asia in 2023. Through painting, drawing, photography, music, and film, the artist writes a love letter to an eye-opening experience.

On view from September 6 to October 4, 2025, the exhibition features multimedia artworks by Mike Byson, a Baltimore-based visual artist, filmmaker, musician, and animator. Recognized for his graffiti murals found all over Baltimore, Mike Byson was flooded with inspiration during his travels.

Mike is a firm believer in exploring new places and meeting new people to get outside his comfort zone and develop his perspective of the world. However, his experiences in Asia shifted this perspective in ways he couldn’t imagine. Back to the Real World is a tribute to the indescribable beauty, the heart-breaking truths, and all the warm, welcoming people who touched his soul along the way.

In addition to his paintings, drawings, and prints, Byson is excited to perform songs from Meet the Bysons by The Bysons, an EP recorded with his wife Jadie upon their return from Asia and released on July 24, 2025. Viewers will also enjoy an animated short film entitled Mike Byson Travels Through Asia, which was selected for inclusion in the Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival in 2025 and will be publicly shown for the first time during the opening reception of Back to the Real World on September 6 at Atrium Artspace.

Byson has a professional background as an arts educator, working with youth in a role at a Baltimore arts non-profit.