Isaac Julien: What Freedom Is To Me at K21 in Düsseldorf

On September 23, K21 presented the first survey exhibition in Germany dedicated to Isaac Julien and his ground-breaking body of work that pushes the boundaries of film and art through expansive cinematographic installations.

At once radically political and highly aesthetic, the works bring to the fore overlooked issues and restore forgotten archive material. At the heart of his pioneering work is the demand for equality, and his work remains as fiercely experimental and politically charged as it was forty years ago. “I’ll tell you what freedom is to me. No fear”—this quote by the American jazz singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone (1933–2003) inspired Isaac Julien’s subtitle for this exhibition. 

The exhibition was conceived in cooperation with the Tate Britain, London, where it was shown from April 26 to August 20, 2023. Following the presentation at K21, the exhibition will travel to the Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht, where it will be on view from March 8 to August 18, 2024.

Curator: Isabella Maidment (previously at Tate Britain), Nathan Ladd (Tate Britain). Curator of the exhibition at K21: Doris Krystof. Organised in conjunction with Isaac Julien Studio in London (Juanita Boxill, James Keith, Vladimir Seput, Paul Smith). Exhibition design Adjaye Associates.