Yto Barrada (born 1971) is a Franco-Moroccan multimedia

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

living and working in

Tangier, Morocco Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the ca ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Barrada cofounded the

Cinémathèque de Tanger Cinémathèque de Tanger (CDT) is an art house movie theater in Tangier, Morocco. CDT was founded by artist Yto Barrada in 2006, and is located within the restored Art Deco Cinéma Rif building in the Casbah A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـص ...

in 2006, leading a group of artists and filmmakers. Barrada also works as an artistic director for the Tangier art house movie theatre. She was previously a member of the

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

-based

Arab Image Foundation The Arab Image Foundation (french: Fondation arabe pour l'image; ar, المؤسسة العربية للصورة/ ALA-LC: ''al-Muʾassasah al-ʿArabiyyah lil-Ṣūrah'') is a non-profit organization established in Beirut in 1997. It aims to track ...

Biography

Yto Barrada was born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1971. Her family moved to Tangier, Morocco when she was a young girl, and Barrada claims Tangier as her hometown. Her father Hamid Barrada, former political opponent of

Hassan II Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scottis ...

and leader of the student left, is a journalist and her mother, Mounira Bouzid El Alami, activist and psychotherapist. After living in Tangier for much of her life, Barrada returned to Paris to study at The University of Paris, also known as the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

, where she studied History and Political Science. Shortly after graduating, Barrada studied at the

International Center of Photography The International Center of Photography (ICP), at 79 Essex Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, consists of a museum for photography and visual culture and a school offering an array of educational courses and programming. ...

in New York, New York. Now married to American film director, writer, actor, and producer

Sean Gullette Sean Leland Sebastian Gullette (born June 4, 1968) is an American film director, writer, screenwriter, actor, and producer. Personal life Gullette was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Margaret Morganroth Gullette a cultural critic an ...

, Barrada splits her time between New York and Morocco. Barrada befriended Bettina Grossman, a reclusive artist who was a longtime resident at Hotel Chelsea. Barrada and Grossman collaborated on an exhibition called ''The Power of Two Suns'', which was on view at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Arts Center at

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...

in 2019. Barrada is working on a

catalogue raisonné A ''catalogue raisonné'' (or critical catalogue) is a comprehensive, annotated listing of all the known artworks by an artist either in a particular medium or all media. The works are described in such a way that they may be reliably identified ...

of Grossman's work. Barrada's first photographic series, ''A Life Full of Holes: The Strait Project,'' was a collaborative project that took place between 1999 and 2003. Barrada later used this title for her book (2005). The Strait of Gibraltar appears as a theme again in Barrada's series ''The Sleepers,'' from 2006, in which she depicts subjects lying down in public spaces. Since she began her career as an artist, Barrada has won many awards and has presented her work in several galleries, such as Galerie Polaris in Paris. She was also awarded the 2011

Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...

Artist of the Year. In 2006 she cofounded

, North Africa's first art house cinema and film archive.

Photos, videos, and sculpture

''A Life Full of Holes: The Strait Project''

In 1998 Barrada began a work she titled ''A Life Full of Holes: The Strait Project'', which described the static and transitory life of her hometown of Tangier. Her photographs depict a city where thousands of immigrants attempt to make the illegal and perilous journey across the

Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...

. This collaborative project focuses on the asymmetries of

neo-colonial Neocolonialism is the continuation or reimposition of imperialist rule by a state (usually, a former colonial power) over another nominally independent state (usually, a former colony). Neocolonialism takes the form of economic imperialism, gl ...

relationships between

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

as well as the disillusionment of citizens wishing to leave Morocco for a different life in the North.

''Iris Tingitana Project''

Her 2007 work, ''Iris Tingitana Project'', showed the meeting of botanical and urban landscapes. This series focuses on the disappearance of

Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants *Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional enti ...

flowers, found in Tangier, that symbolize resistance because they grow in even the most difficult situations. This exhibition depicts Barrada's focus on the landscape and heritage of her home within her art.

''Riffs''

In April 2011, her solo exhibition ''Riffs'' opened at the

Deutsche Guggenheim The Deutsche Guggenheim was an art museum in Berlin, Germany, open from 1997 to 2013.Kuhla, Karoline"Final Exhibition: The Guggenheim's Farewell to Berlin" ''Spiegel Online'', November 15, 2012 It was located in the ground floor of the Deutsche B ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

(2011), and then travelled to

Wiels Wiels is a contemporary art centre situated in Forest, in the Brussels Capital Region, Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is border ...

, Brussels in September, and in Ikon Gallery, Birmingham the following June. This was Barrada's first large-scale exhibition in Germany, and it constituted works from her previous shows (''A Life Full of Holes: The Strait Project'' (1998-2004) and ''Iris Tingitana'' (2007)) as well as new work. The title, ''Riffs'', contains references to music and rhythm as well as the

Rif mountains The Rif or Riff (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. This mountainous and fertile area is bordered by Cape Spartel and Tangier to the west, by Berkane and the Moulouya River to the east, by the Mediterrane ...

of Morocco. The exhibit contained three films, ''Beau Geste'' (2009), ''Playground'' (2010), and ''Hand-Me-Downs'' (2011), which all spoke to the ideas of riffs, resistance, strength, and memory.

Album: Cinématèque Tangier

The Walker Art Center in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

exhibited ''Album: Cinématèque Tangier, a project by Yto Barrada'' from 21 November 2013 to 18 May 2014. Here, Barrada once again showed the film ''Hand-Me-Downs'' (2011) and exhibited work depicting life in Tangier. This exhibit specifically touched on Morocco's artistic and cinematic history through commissioned vintage movie posters and Barrada's sculpture ''Palm Sign'' (2010). This exhibition was curated by Sheryl Mousley and Clara Kim.

''Faux Guide''

In 2016, Barrada presented the exhibition ''Faux Guide'' at

The Power Plant The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is a Canadian non-collecting public contemporary art gallery located at the heart of Toronto, Ontario at the Harbourfront Centre. It is a registered Canadian charitable organization supported by its membe ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, depicting issues and images of

post-colonial Postcolonialism is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. More specifically, it is a ...

Morocco. This was a solo exhibit for Barrada that dealt with ongoing fossil exploration and the natural history of Morocco along what is known as "Dinosaur Road," where the fossil industry is most prevalent. This exhibition pulled from several of Barrada's projects at the time including ''North African Toy Series'' (2015) and ''Untitled (Orthoceras Coca-Cola bottles)'' (2016). ''Faux Guide'' presented viewers with ideas about how the natural world and human world are intertwined.

''Dye Garden''

From 25 September – 22 December 2019, Barrada's exhibition ''Dye Garden'' was on display at the

Neuberger Museum of Art Neuberger Museum of Art is located in Purchase, New York, United States. It is affiliated with Purchase College, part of the State University of New York system. It is the nation's tenth-largest university museum. The museum is one of 14 sites on ...

in New York following Barrada's award of the 2019 Roy R. Neuberger Prize. This exhibition includes video, photos, sculpture, and hand-dyed textiles inspired by her background, family history, and the West's history of

colonization Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...

. All of the artwork in ''Dye Garden'' relates to the geology and botany of North Africa, a topic Barrada continues to return to, process, and relate to. This exhibit was originally presented at the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

during Barrada's residency there, and 2019 is the first time it has been shown in the United States.

Selected exhibitions

*Yto Barrada: "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nougat", organized by Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, August to December 2020 (solo exhibition) *''Yto Barrada: Dye Garden'' - Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, NY - September 25 through December 22, 2019 (solo exhibition) *''How to Do Nothing with Nobody All Alone by Yourself'' - The Pace Gallery, New York – 2018 (solo exhibition) *''Agadir'' -

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

7 Feb 2018 – 20 May 2018 (solo exhibition) *''Tree Identification for Beginners'' performed with Performa 17 as a film and performance multi-media show - New York - 2017 (solo exhibition) *''Faux Guide'' -

Pace Gallery The Pace Gallery is an American contemporary and modern art gallery with 9 locations worldwide. It was founded in Boston by Arne Glimcher in 1960. His son, Marc Glimcher, is now president and CEO. Pace Gallery operates in New York, London, Hong ...

London - 2015 (solo exhibition) *''Before Our Eyes: Other Cartographies of the Rif'' - MACBA,

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

- 2014 (group exhibition) *''Album: Cinématèque Tangier, a project by Yto Barrada'' -

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the United States and, t ...

- 2013-2014 (solo exhibition) *''La courte échelle (ou l'échelle des voleurs)'' – Studio Fotokino, Marseille, 2013 (solo exhibition) *''Mobilier Urbain'' – The

, London – 2012 (solo exhibition) *''Project Space: I decided not to save the world''

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

, London - 2011-12 (group exhibition) *''Riffs'' –

, Berlin – 2011 (solo exhibition) *''Play'' – The Met, New York, NY – 2010 (solo exhibition) *''Uneven Geographies'' –

Nottingham Contemporary Nottingham Contemporary (formerly known as the Centre for Contemporary Art Nottingham (CCAN)) is a contemporary art centre in the Lace Market area of Nottingham. The gallery opened in 2009. The gallery describes its site as being "the oldest in ...

– 2010 (group exhibition) *''DisOrientation II: The Rise and Fall of Arab Cities'' - Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Nov. 22, 2009 - Feb. 20, 2010 (group exhibition) *''Iris Tingintana Project'' - Galerie Polaris, Paris, France - September 29 through October 30, 2007 (solo exhibition) *''Africa Remix'' - Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf, Germany (and various other locations through 2006) - July 24 - Novembver 7, 2004 (group exhibition) *''A Life Full of Holes/The Strait Project'' - Galerie Delacroix, Tangier, Morocco (and various other locations through 2006) - April 7 through May 27, 2001 (solo exhibitions) *''Quiet as It's Kept -''

2022 Whitney Biennial The 2022 Whitney Biennial, titled ''Quiet as It's Kept'', is the Whitney Museum's art biennial, hosted between April and September 2022. Described by Artnews as the "most closely watched contemporary art exhibition in the United States", the b ...

- 2022

Books and catalogues

''Yto Barrada. Moi je suis la langue et vous êtes les dents'' is a catalogue published by

Calouste Gulbenkian Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (, Western hy, Գալուստ Կիւլպէնկեան; 23 March 1869 – 20 July 1955), nicknamed "Mr Five Per Cent", was a British-Armenian businessman and philanthropist. He played a major role in making the petrole ...

in 2019 and written by curator Rita Fabiana. In 2017, Koenig Books published the limited edition ''A Guide to Trees for Governors and Gardeners'' and ''A Guide to Fossils for Forgers and Foreigners'' with the

. A monograph, entitled ''Yto Barrada,'' was published by JRP Ringier in 2013, with texts from

Marie Muracciole Marie Muracciole is a writer and curator based in Paris and Beirut. Early life Marie Muracciole studied at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris. She shifted her visual art practice to writing in 1991. Career Muracciole ...

Juan Goytisolo Juan Goytisolo Gay (6 January 1931 – 4 June 2017) was a Spanish poet, essayist, and novelist. He lived in Marrakesh from 1997 until his death in 2017. He was considered Spain's greatest living writer at the beginning of the 21st century, yet ...

, and a photographic essay by

Jean-François Chevrier Jean-François Chevrier is an art theorist and historian, art critic and exhibition curator. He lives and works in Paris. He is Professor in the History of Contemporary Art at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, after havin ...

. Barrada published ''Riffs'' in 2011 with publisher

Hatje Cantz Hatje Cantz Verlag (English: Hatje Cantz Publishing) is a German book publisher specialising in photography, art, architecture and design. It was established in 1945 by Gerd Hatje Larbi Layachi Driss ben Hamed Charhadi (1937–1986) is the alias for Larbi Layachi, a Moroccan story-teller, some of whose stories have been translated by Paul Bowles from Moroccan Arabic to English. His book, '' A Life Full of Holes'' was tape-recorded and t ...

. It was published by

Autograph ABP Autograph ABP, previously known as the Association of Black Photographers, is a British-based international, non-profit-making, photographic arts agency. History Autograph was originally established in London in 1988. Founders included the photog ...

in 2005.

Awards

In March 2019, the

Purchase, New York Purchase is a hamlet in the town and village of Harrison, in Westchester County, New York, United States. One myth explains that its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, where John Harrison was to be granted as much land as he could ride in ...

, was the recipient of Roy R. Neuberger Prize. As such, she was awarded a $25,000 honorarium as well as a solo exhibition at their museum in Fall 2019. Previous awardees of the prize include

Tania Bruguera Tania Bruguera (born 1968 in Havana, Cuba) is an artist and activist who focuses on installation and performance art. She lives and works between New York City and Havana, and has participated in numerous international exhibitions. Her work is in ...

Leandro Erlich Leandro Erlich (born 1973 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an internationally exhibited Argentine conceptual artist. Career In 2001 he represented his nation at the Venice Biennial and was included in the main section of the biennial once again ...

Robin Rhode Robin Rhode (born 1976) is a South African artist based in Berlin. He has made wall drawings, photographs and sculptures. Education Rhode was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He studied fine art at Technikon Witwatersrand in Johannesburg (no ...

, and

Dana Schutz Dana Schutz (born 1976 in Livonia, Michigan) is an American artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Schutz is known for her gestural, figurative paintings that often take on specific subjects or narrative situations as a point of depar ...

. Barrada's ''Faux Départ'', describing the fossil industry in Morocco, was awarded the Tiger Award for Short Films in 2016. In 2015 the Abraaj Group awarded Yto Barrada the Abraaj Group Art Prize award. Barrada then created commissioned work to be shown at

Art Dubai Art Dubai is a leading international art fair that takes place every March in Dubai. Founded in 2007, Art Dubai is the pre-eminent platform for art from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Each year, the fair features a globally diverse l ...

. Barrada was awarded the 2013 Robert Gardner Fellowship in Photography by the

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is a museum affiliated with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1866, the Peabody Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums focusing on anthropological material, with ...

. In 2011, she was awarded Artist of the Year 2011 by the

. In 2006, Barrada was awarded the first

Ellen Auerbach Ellen (Rosenberg) Auerbach (May 20, 1906 – July 30, 2004) was a German-born American photographer who is best remembered for her innovative artwork for the ringl+pit studio in Berlin during the Weimar Republic. Early life Auerbach (born Ell ...

Award in Berlin.

References

External links

Website of Yto BarradaNoorderlicht / Archive / Yto BarradaYto Barrada, ''La courte échelle (ou l’échelle des voleurs)'', Studio Fotokino, Marseille, juillet 2013Yto Barrada
at

Kadist Art Foundation Kadist is an interdisciplinary contemporary arts organization with an international contemporary art collection. In addition to being a collecting body, Kadist hosts artists residencies and produces exhibitions, publications, and public events. ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrada, Yto 1971 births Living people Moroccan women artists 20th-century French women artists 21st-century French women artists Artists from Paris University of Paris alumni Moroccan contemporary artists French contemporary artists Moroccan emigrants to the United States French emigrants to Morocco