Isaac Julien is one of the leading artists working in film and video today. He came to prominence in 1989 with his drama-documentary ‘Looking for Langston’ and has since garnered a cult following with his films and video installations exploring such urgent themes as memory, desire, identity and politics. He hasn’t, however, had a major solo museum show in the UK until now.

Opening in April at Tate Britain is the largest UK survey of Julien’s pioneering four-decade career to date. Among the standout works on display will be this striking image from Julien’s 2019 photographic series exploring the buildings designed by the Italian-born Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi. It depicts a twirling ballet dance under a staircase in an abandoned culture centre designed by Bo Bardi in Salvador. ‘The idea was to really question the utilization of the museum space,’ Julien explained. ‘I think there’s a way in which architectural spaces offer this sort of appropriation for artists and performance.’

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