Isaac Julien: What Freedom is to me

Description

'Dance, theatre, music, sculpture, painting, all of these different modes of art-making are encapsulated into my practice, which is why I chose film as a medium for making my work.' Isaac Julien Celebrated for his compelling lyrical films and video art installations, Isaac Julien is one of the leading artists working today. This landmark book reveals the scope of Julien's pioneering practice of over forty years, from the early 1980s to the present day, showcasing works from early films to large-scale, multi-screen installations which 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 critically acclaimed ten-screen video 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 Once Again ... (Statues Never Die) 2022. The wide range of 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. Featuring strikingly beautiful reproductions of these extraordinarily powerful works, this publication enriches our understanding and appreciation of a remarkable artist.

Caleb Azumah Nelson is a British-Ghanaian writer and photographer. His debut novel, Open Water, won the Costa Book Award for First Novel in 2021. Maria Balshaw is Director of Tate. Celeste-Marie Bernier is Professor of United States and Atlantic Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Nina Kellgren, BSC, is a BAFTA-winning cinematographer based in London. Isabella Maidment is Curator, Contemporary British Art, at Tate Britain. Mark Nash is an independent curator, film historian and filmmaker with a specialisation in contemporary fine art moving image practices, avant-garde and world cinema. He is currently a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet and essayist. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize for literature. Bradford Young, ASC, is an American cinematographer. His best-known films include Selma, When They See Us, A Most Violent Year, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Arrival, which earned him a nomination for an Academy Award.