Critical Writing Index

The Long Road: Isaac Julien in Conversation with B. Ruby Rich

by B. Ruby Rich and Isaac Julien

Art Journal, Summer 2002, v. 61, no. 2, pp. 50-67

Shot in and around San Antonio, Texas, in 1999, The Long Road to Mazatlan is a multi-channel video installation by Isaac Julien that tells the story of cowboys and of gay culture in the West. This article is an interview with Isaac Julien himself, who details the influences and making of The Long Road to Mazatlan. Julien discusses the excitement of working with three channels as opposed to only one and how this allowed for a more complete and exhilarating exploration of his subjects. Julien's installation explores desire within cowboy and Texas border cutlure, and includes multiple references to famous films. After The Long Road to Mazatlan, Julien created a film about blacksploitation films of the 1970s, titled Badasssss Cinema, which he hopes to make into another installation.

ITEM 2002.213 – available for viewing in the Research Centre

Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited

The Long Road to MazatlanIsaac Julien

Badasssss CinemaIsaac Julien