Weekly Artist Feature | Isaac Julien CBE

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Isaac Julien CBE (b. 1960, London) is known for his richly poetic and visually immersive multi-screen installations and films that explore themes of race, sexuality, postcolonialism, and diaspora. A pioneer in experimental cinema, Julien gained international acclaim with his 1989 film Looking for Langston, a lyrical meditation on the life of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance seen through a queer lens.

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Click here to learn more about the artist →

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Julien’s work seamlessly blends archival footage, choreographed movement, and lush cinematography, often using multiple screens to create spatial and narrative complexity. He is a professor of media art at UC Santa Cruz and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2017 for services to the arts.

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Highlights: 

• Studied at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in London. 
• He co-founded the Sankofa Film and Video Collective in 1983, a pioneering group dedicated to centering Black British voices in media.
• Nominated for the Turner Prize in 2001 for his innovative multi-screen installations, including The Long Road to Mazatlán and Vagabondia.
• Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2017 for services to the visual arts.
• Received the MIT Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts in 2024
• His work is held in the permanent collections of major institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Tate, Centre Pompidou, Guggenheim Museum, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
• Click the link to learn more about Isaac Julien CBE and his work through his Instagram and website. Watch the video below!

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Current Exhibitions

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“Isaac Julien: I Dream a World” - de Young Museum of Art, San Francisco, California (April 12 - July 13, 2025)

A comprehensive retrospective featuring 10 major video installations, including Looking for Langston, Ten Thousand Waves, Lessons of the Hour, and Once Again... (Statues Never Die). This exhibition marks the first major survey of Julien’s work in a U.S. museum setting. Are you in or near San Francisco, CA? Don’t miss this — Click here to get details and plan your visit today! →

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“Lessons of the Hour” – Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. (December 8, 2023, to December 6, 2026)

Explores the life and legacy of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Blending historical reenactments with contemporary imagery, the work reflects on themes of freedom, justice, and the power of photography as a tool for social change. Are you in or near Washington, DC? Don’t miss this — Click here to get details and plan your visit today! →

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Selected Past Exhibitions

• “Lina Bo Bardi – A Marvellous Entanglement” – São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), São Paulo, Brazil
• “Lessons of the Hour” – Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, NY (2024)
• “What Freedom Is To Me” – Tate Britain, London, UK (2023)
• “Once Again... (Statues Never Die)” – Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA (2022)
• “Looking for Langston” – Tate Britain, London, UK (2019)

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Artworks

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