Julianknxx

The polyphonic nature of Julianknxx’s work reflects his expansive practice, rooted in poetry and extending into performance, film, music, and sculpture.

Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, he draws on personal experiences to broaden perspectives on African history and its diasporas. Inspired by oral traditions and using a distinctive visual language, his films explore how narratives are constructed locally and globally, while reflecting on the emotional experience of existing in liminal spaces.

His acclaimed first institutional solo show, Chorus in Rememory of Flight (Barbican, London, 2023), was described as “transcendent and poignant” by the Evening Standard. The installation has since toured Europe, with stops at CAM, Lisbon (2025); The Model, Ireland (2025); and De Singel, Antwerp (2024). Other solo exhibitions include Shifting / Spirit / Time at BURO Stedelijk, Amsterdam, and St Mary le Strand, London (both 2025).

Recent group shows include the 36th Bienal de São Paulo (2025); A World in Common at Tate Modern (2023); C/O Berlin (2025); Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam (2024); and the Sharjah Biennial 16 (2025). He has also exhibited at Gagosian, Gallery 1957, Carl Freedman Gallery, and Whitechapel Gallery.