Isaac Julien’s America
Isaac Julien’s America
Jessica Silverman Gallery is pleased to present “Isaac Julien’s America,” a solo show of new and historic works about the struggle for freedom and equality in a globalized world. The show is inspired by three pioneers: Frederick Douglass, an ex-slave, orator and the most photographed man of the nineteenth century; Matthew Henson, the African-American explorer who discovered the North Pole; and Angela Davis, the radical feminist and former Black Panther turned social justice activist. The photographic works in the exhibition interrogate and “creolize” the genres of portraiture, landscape, costume drama and Blaxploitation film. Together, they explore an imaginary country with expansive borders, a cluster of historical subcultures that are united by their desire for pride and self-possession, a diaspora vision that seeks to infiltrate contemporary America’s sense of itself.
Julien’s perspective on America has its roots in long personal letters written by his grandfather, who lived in Brooklyn, NY, to his mother, who resides in London, England. Throughout his childhood, Julien’s St Lucian parents regularly discussed the prospect of re-uniting with family and pursuing a better life by migrating to North America. However, the artist didn’t end up stepping foot on American soil (or meeting a grandparent) until he was 24 years old when he attended an independent film conference in Manhattan. Since 1984, Julien has lived in the US on and off and, in 1989, set Looking for Langston in Harlem.
INSTALLATION VIEW
SELECTED WORKS


Rapture 1846 (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305g paper mounted on aluminum
59 1/8 x 82 5/8 inches / 150 x 210 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP

The North Star (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta 315g paper mounted on aluminum
63 x 84 inches / 160 x 213 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP

Lessons of the Hour (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305g paper mounted on aluminum
63 x 84 inches / 160 x 213 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP
Rapture 1846 (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305g paper mounted on aluminum
59 1/8 x 82 5/8 inches / 150 x 210 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP
The North Star (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta 315g paper mounted on aluminum
63 x 84 inches / 160 x 213 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP
Lessons of the Hour (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305g paper mounted on aluminum
63 x 84 inches / 160 x 213 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP

A Star to a Seer (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305g paper mounted on aluminum
41 7/8 x 55 1/2 inches / 107 x 141 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP

J.P. Ball Salon, 1867 (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed photograph on gloss inkjet paper mounted on aluminum
22 1/2 x 29 7/8 inches / 57 x 76 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP

Autoportrait Parlour (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305g paper mounted on aluminum
22 1/2 x 29 7/8 inches / 57 x 76 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP
A Star to a Seer (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305g paper mounted on aluminum
41 7/8 x 55 1/2 inches / 107 x 141 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP
J.P. Ball Salon, 1867 (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed photograph on gloss inkjet paper mounted on aluminum
22 1/2 x 29 7/8 inches / 57 x 76 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP
Autoportrait Parlour (Lessons of the Hour), 2019
Framed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305g paper mounted on aluminum
22 1/2 x 29 7/8 inches / 57 x 76 cm
Edition of 6 + 1 AP

Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow (After Frederick Douglass II), 2019
Wet-plate collodion tintype mounted on tulipwood frame
16 7/8 x 14 7/8 inches / 43 x 38 cm
Edition of 3 + 2 AP

Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow (Madison Washington, The Heroic Slave), 2020
Wet-plate collodion tintype mounted on tulipwood frame
16 7/8 x 14 7/8 inches / 43 x 38 cm
Edition of 3 + 2 AP

Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow (Free Within Ourselves), 2020
Wet-plate collodion tintype mounted on tulipwood frame
16 7/8 x 14 7/8 inches / 43 x 38 cm
Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow (After Frederick Douglass II), 2019
Wet-plate collodion tintype mounted on tulipwood frame
16 7/8 x 14 7/8 inches / 43 x 38 cm
Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow (Madison Washington, The Heroic Slave), 2020
Wet-plate collodion tintype mounted on tulipwood frame
16 7/8 x 14 7/8 inches / 43 x 38 cm
Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow (Free Within Ourselves), 2020
Wet-plate collodion tintype mounted on tulipwood frame
16 7/8 x 14 7/8 inches / 43 x 38 cm
Edition of 3 + 2 AP



True North Series, 2004
Framed archival pigment print on Epson Premium Photo Glossy 250gsm paper mounted on aluminum
40 1/2 x 40 1/2 inches / 103 x 103 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 15,000

True North Series, 2004
Framed archival pigment print on Epson Premium Photo Glossy 250gsm paper mounted on aluminum
40 1/2 x 40 1/2 inches / 103 x 103 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 15,000

True North Series, 2004
Framed archival pigment print on Epson Premium Photo Glossy 250gsm paper mounted on aluminum
40 1/2 x 40 1/2 inches / 103 x 103 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 15,000
True North Series, 2004
Framed archival pigment print on Epson Premium Photo Glossy 250gsm paper mounted on aluminum
40 1/2 x 40 1/2 inches / 103 x 103 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 15,000
True North Series, 2004
Framed archival pigment print on Epson Premium Photo Glossy 250gsm paper mounted on aluminum
40 1/2 x 40 1/2 inches / 103 x 103 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 15,000
True North Series, 2004
Framed archival pigment print on Epson Premium Photo Glossy 250gsm paper mounted on aluminum
40 1/2 x 40 1/2 inches / 103 x 103 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 15,000


Baltimore Series (Angela in Orange), 2003
Framed digital print on Epsom Premium Photo Glossy paper
43 3/4 x 54 3/8 inches / 111 x 138 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 18,000

Baltimore Series (Untitled-Angela Noir), 2003
Framed digital print on Epsom Premium Photo Glossy paper
43 x 53 7/8 inches / 109 x 137 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 18,000

Baltimore Series (Ida B. Wells/Still Life), 2003
Framed digital print on Hahnemule Photorag 308gms paper
39 3/8 x 48 1/2 inches / 100 x 123 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 18,000
Baltimore Series (Angela in Orange), 2003
Framed digital print on Epsom Premium Photo Glossy paper
43 3/4 x 54 3/8 inches / 111 x 138 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 18,000
Baltimore Series (Untitled-Angela Noir), 2003
Framed digital print on Epsom Premium Photo Glossy paper
43 x 53 7/8 inches / 109 x 137 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 18,000
Baltimore Series (Ida B. Wells/Still Life), 2003
Framed digital print on Hahnemule Photorag 308gms paper
39 3/8 x 48 1/2 inches / 100 x 123 cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
£ 18,000