Isaac Julien came to prominence in the film world with his 1989 drama-documentary Looking for Langston, gaining a cult following with this poetic exploration of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance. One of the objectives of Julien's work is to break down the barriers that exist between different artistic disciplines, drawing from and commenting on film, dance, photography, music, theatre, painting and sculpture, and uniting them to construct a powerfully visual narrative.
During the past 15 years, Julien has made work largely, though not exclusively, for galleries and museums, using multi-screen installations to express fractured narratives exploring memory and desire. These range from Baltimore, 2003, which, in part through the stylisations of black action movies from the 1970s, looks at the histories, divisions and intersections of black and white cultures, through to his most recent trilogy of audiovisual film installations, True North, Fantôme Afrique and Western Union: Small Boats, all of which deal with themes voyaging and cultural displacement on both a local and global scale. Julien has also worked in collaboration with choreographer Russell Maliphant to create the multimedia dance event Cast No Shadow in 2007; and, in 2008, devised and curated a very personal selection of work by the late artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman. Julien's latest work, the nine-screen installation Ten Thousand Waves, 2010, explores China's ancient past and rapidly-transforming present through a series of interlocking narratives.
Born in 1960, Julien lives and works in London. He has been making films and producing film installations for over twenty years including Western Union (Small Boats) (2007), Fantôme Afrique (2005), True North (2004), Baltimore (2003), which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Kunst Film Biennale in Cologne, Paradise Omeros (2002) and Vagabondia (2000). Julien's recent film Derek (2008) was the Winner of Seattle International Film Festival Documentary Grand Jury Award and the Special Teddy at Berlin Film Festival. It was also nominated for Grierson Award in the Best Art Documentary section, BIFA in the Best Documentary section and a Gucci Award. Julien has had solo exhibitions at Kestner Gesellschaft Hanover (2006), Pompidou Centre Paris (2005), MoCA Miami (2005).
www.isaacjulien.com
During the past 15 years, Julien has made work largely, though not exclusively, for galleries and museums, using multi-screen installations to express fractured narratives exploring memory and desire. These range from Baltimore, 2003, which, in part through the stylisations of black action movies from the 1970s, looks at the histories, divisions and intersections of black and white cultures, through to his most recent trilogy of audiovisual film installations, True North, Fantôme Afrique and Western Union: Small Boats, all of which deal with themes voyaging and cultural displacement on both a local and global scale. Julien has also worked in collaboration with choreographer Russell Maliphant to create the multimedia dance event Cast No Shadow in 2007; and, in 2008, devised and curated a very personal selection of work by the late artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman. Julien's latest work, the nine-screen installation Ten Thousand Waves, 2010, explores China's ancient past and rapidly-transforming present through a series of interlocking narratives.
Born in 1960, Julien lives and works in London. He has been making films and producing film installations for over twenty years including Western Union (Small Boats) (2007), Fantôme Afrique (2005), True North (2004), Baltimore (2003), which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Kunst Film Biennale in Cologne, Paradise Omeros (2002) and Vagabondia (2000). Julien's recent film Derek (2008) was the Winner of Seattle International Film Festival Documentary Grand Jury Award and the Special Teddy at Berlin Film Festival. It was also nominated for Grierson Award in the Best Art Documentary section, BIFA in the Best Documentary section and a Gucci Award. Julien has had solo exhibitions at Kestner Gesellschaft Hanover (2006), Pompidou Centre Paris (2005), MoCA Miami (2005).
www.isaacjulien.com
Exhibitions
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True North & Fantôme Afrique
14 October - 12 November 2005 -
Paradise Omeros and Baltimore
9 September - 11 October 2003 -
After Mazatlan
11 September - 29 September 2000 -
Three
10 September - 20 September 1999
