Isaac Julien

In this rich and reflective episode of Talk Art, host Robert Diamant engages in a profound conversation with the visionary artist Isaac Julien, celebrating the release of Julien's latest multi-screen installation, *All That Changes You, Metamorphosis*, at Victoria Miro in London. The discussion traces Julien’s four-decade journey of breaking artistic boundaries, from his early days at St Martin’s School of Art to his current work that fuses film, sculpture, sound, and ecology. Central to the conversation is the new work’s deep engagement with Ovidian mythology, climate change, and feminist and eco-philosophical thought, drawing on influences from Donna Haraway, Octavia Butler, and Naomi Mitchison. Julien and co-creator Mark Nash reflect on the technical mastery behind the installation, the casting of Gwendolyn Christie and Sheila Atim as powerful female protagonists, and the deliberate use of science fiction as a vehicle for truth-telling. The episode also explores Julien’s personal history, his mentorship of younger artists, and the enduring legacy of his collaborations with figures like Stuart Hall and Derek Jarman. As Julien prepares for major retrospectives in Bergamo and Holland Park, the conversation underscores his belief in art as a transformative, anti-harm force capable of reimagining our relationship with nature, time, and each other. Key takeaways include: 1) Art can be a radical act of reinvention and resistance, especially through the lens of science fiction and myth; 2) Mentorship and collaboration are essential to sustaining cultural transformation; 3) The multi-screen installation is not just a technical feat but a deeply immersive, sensory experience that redefines how we encounter moving image art; 4) Nature, animals, and the microcosm are not peripheral but central to understanding human existence and ecological responsibility; 5) The color Yves Klein Blue symbolizes transcendence, memory, and the sublime in Julien’s work. The episode closes with a deeply personal tribute to Julien’s impact on the art world and a celebration of his ongoing legacy as both artist and educator.