Billy Gerard Frank’s art spans disciplines and themes.

Some of it is on canvas and some is on video. Some of it is historical and some is autobiographical. His work explores issues of race, sexuality, migration and global politics.

All of those elements will be reflected in an exhibition opening Sunday at the Butler Institute of American Art.

“Billy Gerard Frank: Eulogies & Palimpsests” contains work Frank created for his native country of Grenada for Venice Biennale — an international exhibition of art — in 2019 and 2022.

“Eulogy,” a film created for the 2019 Biennale, was inspired by his returned to Grenada after leaving the country for London to study art.

“I was estranged from my dad for 18 years,” Frank said. “Before he died, I went back and discovered a suitcase of letters we exchanged over the years.”

The 2022 film “Palimpsest: Tales Spun from Sea and Memories,” is more historical, inspired by the life of 18th century abolitionist Quobna Ottobah Cugoano.

“I think he played a very important role and was an influence on many revolutionary groups that came after,” Frank said.

Frank’s interest in filmmaking started after he immigrated to London, where he was drawn to the work of filmmakers like Derek Jarman, Ingmar Bergman, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jean Luc Godard and Andrei Tarkovsky.

Frank said he started exploring film when he felt limited in what he could say through his paintings. He also is a fan of filmmakers who got their start in the art world, like Julian Schnabel and Steve McQueen. While his films aren’t as story-driven as those usually seen in movie theaters, they contain more narrative elements than the atmospheric video installations that often can be found in art museums.

Frank, who lives and works in New York, Grenada and Paris, continues to make works that hang on a wall as well as those projected on them, and the Butler exhibition also include works from his current series “Indigo: Entanglements

In the press release for the exhibition, Butler Executive Director Louis A. Zona says, “Billy Gerard Frank is an artist of remarkable reputation. It is a challenge to classify his work because it moves in many different directions at once. One thing for sure is that innovation is key. Much of his success is dependent upon his understanding of the traditional photographic image, which, in combination with imagery drawn from films that have powerful narratives, makes for great artistry.”

Frank’s mixed-media artwork and films have been exhibited and screened in group and solo shows in museums and institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum, Yale University and the National Academy Museum of Fine Arts and Design. They also have appeared in international film festivals such as the Berlinale and Sundance.

He will attend an opening reception for “Eulogies & Palimpsests” from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

If you go…

WHAT: “Billy Gerard Frank: Eulogies & Palimpsests”

WHEN: Sunday through April 23 with meet-the-artist reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave., Youngstown

HOW MUCH: Admission is free. For more information, go to www.butlerart.com or call 330-743-1107.