Isaac Julien

Tate art museum director Maria Jane Balshaw’s Isaac Julien isan engrossing book about one of the most important and pioneering contemporary artists and filmmakers working today.

Celebrated for his powerful and poetic films and installations, Isaac Julien is one of the most important and pioneering contemporary artists and filmmakers working today. His work transgresses the boundaries between artistic disciplines in thought-provoking meditations on race, sexuality, legacies of colonialism, and migration that resonate in the present day.

Produced in close collaboration with the artist, this book showcases a selection of key works spanning Julien’s career to date—from early work as part of the Sankofa Film and Video Collective (1983–92) to his most recent works including his critically acclaimed 10-screen film installation Lessons of the Hour (2019), a portrait of the life and times of Frederick Douglass, the visionary African American orator, philosopher, and self-liberated freedom-fighter, and 2022’s Once Again . . . (Statues Never Die).

With stunning images of Julien’s films, an engrossing selection of archive photos, and a wide range of contributors who offer contrasting perspectives, this book is sure to enrich any reader’s experience and appreciation of these deeply moving works.