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MEMORIALARTGALLERYPRESENTS

IsaacJulien

LessonsoftheHour—FrederickDouglassWorldpremiereoftheten-screenfilminstallation

Isaac Julien, Lessons of the Hour, 2019. Courtesy the Artist, Metro Pictures New York, and Victoria Miro London/Venice

Rochester,NY,January24,2019TheMemorialArtGalleryoftheUniversityofRochesterispleasedtoannouncetheexhibitionLessonsoftheHour—FrederickDouglass,featuringaten-screeninstallationtitledLessonsoftheHourbyartistIsaacJulien.TheworkisinspiredbyepisodesinthelifeofFrederickDouglass(1818–1895),andtheissuesofsocialjusticethatshapedhislife’swork.LessonsoftheHour—FrederickDouglasswillopenatContinue~

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MAGonMarch3,2019,withatwo-gallerypresentationfeaturing,inthefirstgallery,threetintypes—anearlytypeofphotographyinwhichthephotographicemulsionispresentedonametalplate.TheseareportraitsofperformersinLessonsoftheHour.Thesecondgallerywillshowcasetheworldpremiereoftheten-screenfilminstallation.IsaacJuliencreatedtheinstallationusingbothanalogueanddigitaltechnologies:35mmcolorfilmaswellas4kdigital.Juliendescribestheexhibitionasa“stagingofhistoryseenthroughacontemporarylens.Itopenswithtintypessuggestingthearchiveofthepast,andwhichtakeonadditionalresonanceinthemulti-screeninstallationthatfollows.”TheexhibitionwillbeonviewattheMemorialArtGallerythroughMay12,2019.LessonsoftheHourwillalsopremiereatMetroPictures,NewYork,onMarch8,withapresentationoflarge-scalephotographicworksandtheten-screenfilminstallation.FrederickDouglasswasavisionaryAfricanAmericanabolitionist,afreedslavewhowasalsothemostphotographedmanofthe19thcentury.Julien’sprojectisinformedbysomeoftheabolitionist’smostimportantspeeches,suchas“LessonsoftheHour,”“WhattotheSlaveIsthe4thofJuly?”and“LectureonPictures,”thelatterbeingatextthatconnectspicture-makingandphotographytohisvisionofhowtechnologycaninfluencehumanrelations.Inthefilm,thecharacterofDouglasswillinteractwithotherculturaliconsofhistime,namelyphotographerJ.P.Ball;AnnaMurrayandHelenPitts,whowereDouglass’twowives;AnnaandEllenRichardson,thetwoEnglishQuakeresseswhoallowedDouglasstoreturntoAmericaasafreeman;SusanB.Anthony,thesuffragistandDouglass’longtimefriend;andOttilieAssing,afeministfriendandlover.Mostlywomen,thesecharacterswerechosenforbeingrepresentativesofidealsofequality,whichwereasimportantthenastheyaretoday.ThroughextensiveuseofFrederickDouglass’“timelywords,”IsaacJuliengivesexpressiontothezeitgeistofDouglass’era,hislegacy,andwaysinwhichhisstorymaybeviewedtoday.TheworkwasshotinWashington,DC,whereDouglasslivedlateinlife,andwherehishouseinCedarHillhasbeenkeptalmostintactasaNationalHistoricSite;andinScotland,whereDouglasswasanactivememberofthe“SendBacktheMoney”movement,andwherehedeliveredanumberofanti-slaveryspeeches,whichJulienrestagedinsideLondon’sRoyalAcademyofArts.Douglassdeliveredmorethan300lecturesinScotland,Ireland,andEnglandashesoughttoaffirmhisstruggleforequalityasaglobalcitizenwhowasverymuchaheadofhistime.WorkinginconsultationwithProfessorCeleste-MarieBernieroftheUniversityofEdinburgh,authorofIfISurvive:FrederickDouglassandFamilyintheWalterO.EvansCollection,IsaacJulienimaginesthepersonofFrederickDouglassthroughaseriesoftableauxvivants.ComposerPaulGladstoneReidcreatedthefilm’soriginalscore.IsaacJulienisapioneeroftheartofthemovingimagewho,sincetheearly1990s,hasinnovatedadistinctivenon-linear,multi-screenformofstorytelling.AdamFinch,Julien’slongtimeeditor,isakeycollaboratorinthisregard.Julien’sopen-endednarrativesproposethatspectatorsactivelyinterprettheworkthroughaphysicalandsensorialimmersion.Drawingfrompainting,architecture,photography,performance,andsound,Julienconstructspoeticnarrativesofhybridscenes.“Duetothenatureofmypractice,”theartisthasstated,“Idonotproducemyfilmsusingastandardfilmicconstruction,whichismainlygroundedinscriptwriting.Ioftenworkonmultiplescreens,whichdemandsamontagetechniquespeciallydevelopedforthatpurpose.Ipaygreatattentiontosetdécor,lighting,performance,mise-en-scène,aswellasediting,sonic,andvisualeffectstocreateaspaceformeditationonpoliticalandculturalquestions.”TheprojectcuratorJohnG.Hanhardtnotes,“IsaacJulienisamasterofthemovingimage.Hisfilmsandinstallationsdemonstrateacompletecommandofthemedium.InanextraordinarybodyofworkspanningalmostthreedecadesandincludingsuchmasterpiecesasParadiseOmeros(2002)andTenThousandWaves(2010),JulienContinue~

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hascreatedinstallationsthatbringhistoryandindividualstoriesalive.Thereisnoartistworkingtodaywhomakessuchcompellingandpowerfulstatementsaboutglobalforcesshapinghistoryandourworld.Hismovingimagesastonishandinform,anddemonstratehowartcanspeaktoallofus.”JonathanP.Binstock,MAG’sMaryW.andDonaldR.ClarkDirector,hassaidthat“realizingthisprojectandbringingIsaacJulien,oneofthemostimportantandinfluentialartistsworkingtoday,toRochesteristheculminationofoneofMAG’sgrandestambitions,whichistobeaplatformforthecreationofnewworksofartforourlocalaudiencethatwillberelevantglobally.WelookforwardtosharingthisworkofartinspiredbyRochesterwithaudiencesaroundtheworld.”LessonsoftheHour—FrederickDouglassisthesecondexhibitiontobepresentedaspartof“ReflectionsonPlace,”aseriesofmediaartcommissionsinspiredbythehistory,culture,andpoliticsoftheCityofRochester,NewYork,andcuratedbyworld-renownedauthorityonthemovingimageJohnG.Hanhardt.Thefirstexhibition,NOSFERATU(TheUndead),byJavierTéllezwasonviewatMAGApril22–June17,2018.Thethirdcommission,byartistDaraBirnbaum,willbeonviewatMAGApril14–October13,2019.ProjectCreditLineThe“ReflectionsonPlace”seriesofmediaartcommissionsbytheMemorialArtGalleryispresentedbytheZellFamily,andDeborahRonnenandShermanLevey.LessonsoftheHourwascommissionedandacquiredbytheMemorialArtGallerywithgeneroussupportfromMarkFalconeandEllenBruss,FordFoundation,VIAArtFund,andLoriVanDusen.ThecommissionisalsomadepossiblebyBarbaraandAaronLevine,DeborahRonnen,theMauriceandMaxineFormanFund,theMarionStrattonGouldFund,theHerdle-MooreFund,theStrasenburghFund,andtheLymanK.andEleanoreB.StuartEndowmentFund.ProductionoftheworkisgenerouslysupportedbyMetroPictures,NewYork;theArtsDivisionoftheUniversityofCaliforniaSantaCruz;LauriFirstenberg;andbyEastmanKodakCompany,onwhosefilmstocktheinstallationwasshot.InRochester,theexhibitionismadepossiblebytheMargaretDavisFriedlichandAlanandSylviaDavisMemorialFund,theRobertA.andMaureenS.DobiesEndowmentFund,theKayserFund,theElizabethandEricRennertFamilyFoundation,theRobertL.andMaryL.SproullFund,andananonymousdonor.AbouttheArtistIsaacJulienCBERA(U.K.,b.1960;livesandworksinLondon)isaglobalartistwhosecommandofthemovingimagehasnotonlytransformedinstallationart,butalsohowwecanrelatetohistoryandtheneedtorearticulateit.Heisacclaimedforhissubtleandcompellingfilmsaswellasforhisvibrantandinventivemediaartinstallations.Hecametoprominenceinthefilmworldwithhis1989drama-documentaryLookingforLangston,gainingacultfollowingwiththispoeticexplorationofauthorLangstonHughesandtheHarlemRenaissance.Duringthepasttwodecadeshehasmadeworklargely,thoughnotexclusively,forgalleriesandmuseums,usingmulti-screeninstallationstoexplorenarrativeandtherepresentationofmemory,desire,andculturaldisplacement.LessonsoftheHourisJulien’sfirstworkmadeintheUSsinceBaltimore(2003).IsaacJulienisProfessorofDigitalArtsattheUniversityofCaliforniaSantaCruz,whereheandProfessorMarkNashareestablishingtheIsaacJulienLabSantaCruzforartistswhowanttoconceptualize,create,andexhibitworksinvolvingmovingandstillimages.Julien’sworkisheldincollectionsthatincludeTate,London;MuseumofModernArt,NewYork(MoMA);CentrePompidou,Paris;SolomonR.GuggenheimMuseum,NewYork;HirshhornMuseumandSculptureGarden,WashingtonDC;Albright-KnoxArtGallery,Buffalo;FondationLouisVuitton,Paris;LUMAFoundation,Arles;Continue~

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KramlichCollection,SanFrancisco;andZeitzMuseumofContemporaryAfricanArt,CapeTown.Amongthemanybooksandcataloguespublishedonhiswork,Julien’sintellectualbiography,IsaacJulien:Riot,waspublishedbyMoMAin2013tocoincidewiththemuseum’spresentationofthenine-screenprojectionTenThousandWaves,whichispartofMoMA’spermanentcollection.Thenewlyconserveddirector’scutofIsaacJulienandMarkNash’sfilmFrantzFanon:BlackSkinWhiteMaskhasjustbeenreleasedbyFilmMovementDistributors,NY.AbouttheCuratorJohnG.HanhardtisMAG’sconsultingseniorcuratorofmediaarts.HanhardtbeganhiscareerintheDepartmentofFilmatMoMAinNewYorkCity,andfromtherewenttotheWalkerArtCenterinMinneapolistoestablishitsfilmprogramandfilmstudycollection.From1974to1996,hewascuratorandheadofthefilmandvideodepartmentattheWhitneyMuseumofAmericanArt.HewasseniorcuratoroffilmandmediaartsattheSolomonR.GuggenheimMuseumfrom1996to2006,andconsultingseniorcuratoroffilmandmediaattheSmithsonianAmericanArtMuseumfrom2006until2016.Hanhardtisrecognizedfor,amongotherdistinctions,beingaleadingscholarofNamJunePaik,BillViola,andAndyWarhol.AboutMAG’s“ReflectionsonPlace”seriesThemovingimageinallitsformsholdscenterstageintoday’sartworld—fromsingle-channelvideoworksprojectedonascreentoimmersivemultimediainstallations.TheMemorialArtGalleryisundertakingamajornewmediaartsinitiativetobringtheseexcitingcontemporaryartpracticesintoitscollection,exhibition,andeducationprograms.MAGhascommissionedJavierTéllez(Venezuela,b.1969),DaraBirnbaum(U.S.,b.1946),andIsaacJulienaspartofanewmediaartseries,“ReflectionsonPlace,”inspiredbythehistory,politics,andcultureoftheCityofRochester,NewYork.ThethreeworksarebeingindividuallypresentedandwillenterMAG’spermanentcollectionattheendoftheexhibitions.Thefirstcommissiontobecompleted,NOSFERATU(TheUndead)byJavierTéllez,haditsEuropeanpremierefromOctober18,2018toFebruary25,2019attheFondazionePradainMilaninthegroupexhibitionSanguine:LucTuymansonBaroque,whichisorganizedbythecelebratedBelgianpainter,LucTuymans.AboutTheMemorialArtGalleryTheMemorialArtGalleryshowcasesvisualartfromantiquitytothepresentday,includinganoutdoorpublicCentennialSculpturePark.Inadditiontoitspermanentcollection,MAGoffersayear-roundscheduleofspecialexhibitions,lectures,concerts,tours,after-hourssocialevents,andfamilyactivities.Hours:Wednesday–Sunday11amto5pm,anduntil9pmonThursdaysandselectFridays.ClosedMondaysandTuesdays.

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