Mirrors, Ballrooms, and Ghosts: Isaac Julien’s Films Rewrite the Museum Walls
History doesn’t stand still in Isaac Julien’s hands—it shimmers, splits, and dances across the screen. For nearly four decades, this London-born artist has reimagined the overlooked lives of Black queer figures, using film, photography, and immersive installations to challenge how stories are told. Julien’s roots trace back to the 1980s Sankofa collective, where he helped shape radical new visions for Black and queer cinema. His breakthrough, "Looking for Langston," reframed Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes through the lens of queer ballroom culture, blending past and present in luminous black-and-white.
At Tate Britain’s sweeping survey, visitors step into cinematic worlds where history is both spectacle and critique. In "Once Again … (Statues Never Die)," Julien conjures philosopher Alain Locke amid mirrored halls and colonial relics, blurring the lines between personal tenderness and institutional memory. Throughout the exhibition, Julien’s artistry insists that history is not just recounted—it’s felt, embodied, and open to transformation. His films invite viewers to see not only what was, but what could be, if we let beauty and humanity lead the way.
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