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Isaac Julien: Western Union: Small Boats

ON VIEW: February 12-May 31, 2020

This spring, the Neuberger Museum of Art will feature one of artist Isaac Julien’s most important works, Western Union: Small Boats, a video installation that focuses on journeys across the Mediterranean by so-called “clandestines” who leave Libya to escape war and famine. 

At a time when US immigration policies generate controversy on a daily basis, the questions posed by Julien in this work surrounding the circulation of human lives, the movements of bodies, and their personal stories, are as timely today as they were when he created the work in 2007.

Isaac Julien: Western Union: Small Boats is organized by the Neuberger Museum of Art and co-curated by Helaine Posner, Neuberger Chief Curator, and Louise Yelin, Professor Emerita, Literature, Purchase College, SUNY. Generous support for this exhibition is provided by Roy R. Neuberger Legacy Program Endowment.