Isaac Julien wins the Goslarer Kaiserring 2022
We are thrilled to share with you that Isaac Julien receives the Goslar Kaiserring of 2022. Julien is honored for his sensual and poetic visual narrative that breaks down barriers between different artistic disciplines.
“It is a great honor to receive the renowned Goslar Kaiserring for 2022,” says Isaac Julien.
“This award has a long and impressive history, and many of the previous winners are long-time friends and colleagues (…) Receiving this award is also an inspiration to continue the work that I have been doing for four decades.” His relationship with Germany, where he has taught for a long time and has many friends, has always been particularly strong. “And this award comes at an important time when the recognition of international values in contemporary art is essential,” said the artist.
In their justification, the Kaiserring jury wrote about Isaac Julien: “He breaks down barriers between different artistic disciplines by drawing from film, dance, photography, music, theatre, painting and sculpture and uniting them in a highly sensual visual narrative. Julien’s work deals with important social and human issues of our time – racism, migration, diversity, queerness, homophobia and chauvinism – and encourages us to rethink and explore social responsibility.” Isaac Julien combines pointed political expressiveness with an aesthetic of visual seduction.
The city of Goslar has been awarding the Kaiserring every year since 1975. It consists of an aquamarine set in gold and engraved with the seal of Emperor Henry IV. Former award winners include Joseph Beuys and Christo. Julien is expected to accept the Kaiserring in Goslar on October 8th.
ABOUT Isaac Julien
Sir Isaac Julien, CBE RA is a critically acclaimed British artist and filmmaker. In 2018, Julien joined the faculty at the University of California Santa Cruz where he is a distinguished professor of the arts and leads the Isaac Julien Lab together with Arts Professor Mark Nash. Current and recent international solo exhibitions include: Isaac Julien: Lina Bo Bardi — A Marvellous Entanglement, CentroCentro (Panorama Madrid), Madrid, Spain, on view until 29 August 2021; Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour, McAvoy Foundation for the Arts, San Francisco (2020–2021); Isaac Julien: Lina Bo Bardi — A Marvellous Entanglement, MAXXI, Rome (2020–2021); Isaac Julien: Western Union: Small Boats, Neuberger Museum, New York (2020); Isaac Julien: Frederick Douglass: Lessons of the Hour, SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah (2019); Looking for Langston at Tate Britain (2019); and Playtime at LACMA (2019). Julien has previously exhibited at venues including Museum of Modern Art, New York (2013), Art Institute of Chicago (2013), Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego (2012), and Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (2005). Julien is the recipient of The Royal Academy of Arts Charles Wollaston Award 2017 and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2017.
Isaac Julien was born in 1960, London, UK
He lives and works in London, UK and Santa Cruz, CA
