Isaac Julien

Isaac Julien is an artist known for his lyrical films and video art installations. This book reveals the scope of Julien's practice of over forty years, from the early 1980s to the present day, showcasing works from early films to large-scale, multi-screen installations that investigate the movement of peoples across different continents, times, and spaces. It includes some of his early projects as part of Sankofa Film and Video Collective (1983-92); his ten-screen film installation, Lessons of the Hour 2019, a portrait of the life and times of Frederick Douglass, the African American orator, philosopher, and self-liberated freedom-fighter; and Once Again (Statues Never Die) 2022. The writers and collaborators who have contributed to this book highlight Julien's critical thinking and the way his work breaks down barriers between different artistic disciplines, drawing from film, dance, photography, music, theatre, painting, and sculpture by using the themes of desire, history and culture.