SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.- ArtPace | San Antonio announces the first Texas showing of Paradise Omeros and Baltimore by Isaac Julien, one of Britain’s foremost contemporary artists. Paradise Omeros (2002) is a 20-minute, filmic triptych based upon the Nobel Prize winning epic Omeros by Caribbean poet Derek Walcott. The film follows its young protagonist from the rich tropics of St. Lucia, to gritty urban England, and back to St. Lucia, exploring the unique and confounding experience of creolization—the psychological and linguistic impact of colonization, immigration, and globalization.
With Baltimore (2003) Julien presents a narrative that references high art, political history, and popular culture. Drawing on the history of the blaxploitation films of the 1970s, the 11-minute piece follows a futuristic version of the gun-toting females that appeared in such films and features the legendary Melvin Van Peebles. The work pivots between the two characters as each walks through the city and into museums, there encountering artifacts and objects that bring to life the past, present, and possible future.
Born and based in London, Julien came to prominence in the early 1980s as a founding member of the Sankofa Film/Video Collective, a seminal U.K. group that explored new ways of representing black identity. Julien’s works have received much critical attention in museums and galleries around the world, but his films are also regularly screened in commercial settings. A solo exhibition of Isaac Julien’s photos and films recently traveled to the United States, Australia, Sweden, and Finland.
ArtPace is pleased to welcome Isaac Julien back to San Antonio with this filmic installation on view from October 30, 2003 through January 25, 2004. For ArtPace, Julien has produced a limited edition print. Paradise (Omeros) No. 1 (2002) is an 18 x 50 inch work whose imagery is culled from the rich, island-hued visuals of Paradise Omeros. This exhibition has been supported by the British Council.
ArtPace | San Antonio serves as an advocate for contemporary art and as a catalyst for the creation of significant art projects. We seek to nurture emerging and established artists and to provide opportunities for inspiration, experimentation, and education. Through our International Artist-in-Residence Program, we invite nine artists annually to participate in a two-month residency that supports the evolution of new ideas in art. Our broad range of panels, lectures, artist talks, and studio visits cultivates diverse audiences for contemporary art and provides a forum for ongoing dialogue.
ArtPace is located at 445 N. Main Avenue, in downtown San Antonio, TX. ArtPace is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5 PM, Thursday, 12-8 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free.
