Isaac Julien is an internationally recognized artist, writer, teacher, and scholar who lectures and writes extensively on issues of black cultural politics, film, art and sexuality. Forging a new language around black representation, he breaks down the barriers between artistic disciplines, uniting film, dance, photography, music, theatre, painting and sculpture to construct a powerfully visual narrative. He came to prominence in the film world with his 1989 drama-documentary "Looking for Langston," a poetic exploration of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance which gained him a cult following. His renown grew in 1991 when his film "Young Soul Rebels" won the Semaine de la Critique prize for best film at the Cannes Film Festival.

Julien studied at St Martin's School of Art in London. His films, videos and installations have been shown at Tate Gallery in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, MIT's List Visual Arts Centre, and at art cinemas and film festivals around the world. His previous awards include the Art Pace International Award; Andy Warhol Foundation Award; Certificate of Merit, Golden Gate Awards, San Francisco Film Festival; and Pratt and Whitney Canada Grand Prize, 15th International Festival of Films on Art. Julien recently became a Research Fellow at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and was short listed for the Turner Prize in 2001. He is currently Visiting Lecturer on Afro-American Studies and on Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University.