Isaac Julien aims to break down the barriers between artistic disciplines, drawing from and commenting on film, dance, photography, music, theater, painting, and sculpture while uniting multiple art forms in powerful visual narratives. He reveals his artistic and research processes to the audiences of his multilayered, critically acclaimed projects, which are often connected thematically.

Julien’s most recent project, Stones Against Diamonds—first presented as unique installations at the Venice Biennale and Art Basel last summer—explores the seminal work of the Italian-born modernist architect Lina Bo Bardi, who spent much of her career in Brazil. The title comes from a letter by the architect in which she discusses the relative beauty and value of commonplace and conventionally precious materials. Julien continued his research on Bo Bardi, specifically her years in Italy, as AAR’s Mary Miss Artist in Residence this fall. He also presented his own work in a talk and a conversation with the curator and writer Mark Nash in September.