Biography
Artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien’s practice often examines the politics of masculinity, class and race as well as deconstructs and reclaims Black histories. His pioneering multi-screen film installations and photographs incorporate striking imagery and politically charged narratives that traverse various artistic disciplines to create uniquely poetic visual languages. He is co-founder of Sankofa Film and Video Collective, which fostered collaborative independent Black film production and exhibitions, as well the Isaac Julien Lab with his partner, Mark Nash.
His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia (2022); Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, USA (2022); McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, San Francisco (2021); MAXXI, Rome (2020); Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York (2020); Baltimore Museum of Art (2019–2020); SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, USA (2019); Tate Britain (2019); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2019); ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Denmark (2018); The Whitworth, Manchester (2018); The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto (2017); MAC Niterói, Rio de Janeiro (2016); MUAC (Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo), Mexico City (2016), among others.
Julien has also participated in many group exhibitions, including When Home Won't Let you Stay: Migration through Contemporary Art, Cantor Arts Center, Stanford, USA (2021); Masculinities: Liberation through Photography, Barbican Art Gallery, London (2020); Black Refractions: Highlights from the Studio Museum in Harlem, Gibbes Museum, Charleston, USA (2019); Groundings, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (2018); 57th Venice Biennale (2017); Milan Triennale (2017); 7th Gwangju Biennial (2008); and documenta 11, Kassel (2002).
Julien has taught extensively, holding posts such as Chair of Global Art at University of Arts London (2014–2016) and Professor of Media Art at Staatliche Hoscschule fur Gestaltung, Karlsruhe, Germany (2008–2016). In 2018, Julien joined the faculty at the University of California Santa Cruz where he is a distinguished professor of the arts and leads the Moving Image Lab together with Arts Professor Mark Nash. In 2019, Julien and Nash established the Isaac Julien Lab at the UC Santa Cruz campus, where students assist in research and the production of moving image and photographic works in California and London.
Julien is the recipient of the Kaiserring Goslar Award (2022) and the Royal Academy of Arts Charles Wollaston Award (2017). He was made a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2017, and granted a knighthood as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours List in 2022.
He earned a BA Fine Art from Central Saint Martins School of Art, London (1984)) and completed his postdoctoral studies at Les entrepreneurs de l'audiovisuel européen, Brussels (1989).
Born in 1960 in London, Julien currently lives and works between London and Santa Cruz, USA.
SAF participation:
Sharjah Biennial 15 (2023)
