Turner Prize-nominated British artist Isaac Julien CBE RA brings his acclaimed film-based installation Lessons of the Hour – Frederick Douglass (2019) to Perth Museum. Presented as part of the ARTIST ROOMS programme, Perth is the first venue on the tour and the only place to experience the work in Scotland.

Julien’s work is a meditation on the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass and his time in Scotland. Unique to Perth, the exhibition places Lessons of the Hour – Frederick Douglass (2019) within a wider exploration of Perthshire’s connections to the transatlantic slave trade and Douglass’s links to the region. The exhibition also features spotlight artworks on loan from Montrose Museum and the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum that celebrate black portraiture and the power of the image.

Douglass was an influential American abolitionist, writer, philosopher and human rights campaigner who travelled widely across Scotland in the 19th century. Inspired by his life and legacy, Lessons of the Hour (2019) offers a powerful reflection on his struggle for freedom and equality.

In 1846, Douglass delivered four speeches to sold-out audiences in Perth’s former City Hall, on the site where Perth Museum now stands. Visitors will be able to stand in the very place where he once addressed Perth audiences, creating a direct connection between his story, Julien’s artwork and the museum itself. Both the artwork and exhibition take their title from Douglass’s final speech, delivered in 1894.

ARTIST ROOMS is a joint programme by Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland, bringing outstanding modern and contemporary art from the national collection to venues across the UK.

About Isaac Julien

Isaac Julien CBE RA (born 1960) is a distinguished installation artist, filmmaker and professor at UC Santa Cruz. His multi-screen film installations and photographs incorporate different artistic disciplines to create a poetic and unique visual language. His notable documentary-drama Looking for Langston (1989) garnered Julien a cult following, and his 1991 debut feature film Young Soul Rebels won the Semaine de la Critique prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His works have been presented in solo exhibitions and biennales internationally and his works are held in collections across the world. isaacjulien.com

Lessons of the Hour opens on 9 October 2026 and runs until 11 April 2027. Admission is free, and donations are welcome.