Isaac Julien: Baltimore (review)

I SAAC JULIEN: BALT I MORE Ne w Yor k Oct 2 5 - Nov 2 9 , 200: Considering t hat Isaac JuLien has produced hi ghl y accl aimed works of f ilm/ art since t he early 1980s, it seems i nconcei vabl e t hat Balt imore is t he occasi on for his f irst sol o New York exhi bi t i on. In t he nick of t ime, Met ro Pi ct ur es Gallery pr esent s t he Brit ish f il mmaker/ art ist 's lat est t ri-screen i nst al l at i on al ong wit h l ar ge-scal e phot ogr aphs t hat recapit ulat e t he f i l m's narrat ive. . Mi e n 's recent ly compl et ed document ar y on bl axpl oi t at i on (Baadasssss Cinema, present ed on IFC) and his appropriat ion of t he t r appi ngs of t hi s mode of black cinema mi ght lead one t o t hi nk t hat Jul i en is comment i ng on t hi s not or i ousl y t r oubl esome and successf ul 1970s phenomenon . But while t hi s superf icial reart iculat ion of t he i di oms of bl axpl oi t at i on provide a kind of ci nemat i c "h o o k " wi t h w hi ch Jul i en may at t ract viewers, Balt imore 's root s run much deeper. Balt imore is a cont i nuat i on of Jul i en's cinemat ic engagement wit h t he cont emporary exi gencies of art hist ory and t he i mpor t ance of t he museum as a bat t l egr ound f or cul t ural l egi t i macy . In earlier works by Jul i en, i ncl udi ng The At t endant ( 1993) , Three ( 1999) and Vagabondia ( 2000) , f igures of alt erit y dance, Balt imore, 2003. Film still daydream, embrace, cont ort t heir bodies and whi p each ot her i nt o su b m i ssi on —al l wi t hi n t he mausol eum-l i ke halls of great West ern m useum s. The r esul t i ng t ensi on engender ed by t hese ext remely subversive, corporeal act s calls at t ent i on t o t he body in it s most beaut i f ul and most abj ect response t o hegemony. Whil e many know Jul i en f or hi s open expl orat ion of homosexual r ep r esent at i ons—esp eci al l y as t hey relat e t o t he black i nt el l i gent si a—Bal t i mor e i nvest i gat es alt erit y w i t hout specif ical l y l i mi t i ng it sel f t o queer narrat ives. Despit e Balt imore's lack of overt imagery of black gay men, t heir desi r es, or t hei r f ant asi es, Jul i en's hi ghl y st yl ized f ilm is nevert hel ess consi st ent wi t h his overall pr oduct i on, which calls at t ent i on t o t he mai nst r eam absence and erasure of black voices. The vi sual l y i nt oxi cat i ng, dreamlike qual it y of Jul i en's oeuvre is one t hat has remained consi st ent t hr oughout his career. The camera of t en f loat s t hr ough spaces as a di sembodi ed "eye, " while a successi on of i mages passes bef ore t he screen. Layer upon layer of i mpr essi ons buil d i nt o a vi sual const el l at ion of si gns, f rom...