Isaac Julien's Tate Britain survey explores queer Black histories through multi-screen film installations

Isaac Julien's exhibition 'What Freedom Is To Me' at Tate Britain in London presents a comprehensive survey of his work, on view through 20 August. The show includes his 2022 five-screen installation 'Once Again… (Statues Never Die)', commissioned by the Barnes Foundation and featuring a dialogue between philosopher Alain Locke and collector Albert C. Barnes. Julien's artistic practice began with his 1983 debut film 'Who Killed Colin Roach?', inspired by the 1982 death of Colin Roach in police custody. He co-founded the Sankofa Film and Video Collective in 1983, influenced by figures like Teshome Gabriel and Haile Gerima. His 1989 film 'Looking for Langston' explores queer desire through poet Langston Hughes, while 'Lessons of the Hour' (2019) examines Frederick Douglass's life across ten screens. Julien's 1991 feature 'Young Soul Rebels' portrays London's queer Black nightlife. His work has inspired artists like Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and Rodney Evans. Additional presentations include photographs at Victoria Miro in London through 4 June and inclusion in Sharjah Biennial 15 through 11 June.