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Yto Barrada
About the Artist
Yto Barrada (b.1971, Paris, France) grew up in Tangier, Morocco. She studied history and political science at the Sorbonne and photography in New York where she lives and works.
The artist’s oeuvre spans over photography, sculpture, installations, textile, and video. Barrada explores the culture, landscape, economy and politics of her hometown of Tangier, Morocco, as well as the country’s complex relationship with Europe. In 2006, Barrada founded the non-profit “Cinémathèque de Tanger” Tangier’s first and only repertory cinema and archive, which operates out of a restored 1930s theatre known as the "Cinema Rif".
Barrada reflects on notions of autonomy in within the environment . In 2007, Yto Barrada participated in the Venice Biennale, where she showcased her series titled Public Park—Sleepers (2006–7). This collection features photographs depicting wild irises and men resting in parks, serving as symbolic representations of resistance and spontaneity in the midst of urban development and commercial influences. Barrada often employs nature to observe political issues, such as during her debut gallery exhibition in New York, titled "How to Do Nothing with Nobody All Alone by Yourself," which featured her installation and thought-provoking film essay, Tree Identification for Beginners (2017), detailing her Mother's journey to the United States back in 1966, part of a travel program sponsored by the State Department.
Barrada’s work has won numerous awards including the 2022 Mario Merz Prize, 2019 Roy R. Neuberger Prize, 2016, Tiger Award for short film and a nomination for the 2016 Prix Marcel Duchamp in Paris, the 2015 Abraaj Group Art Prize and the 2011 Deutsche Guggenheim Artist of the Year award.
Her art continues to spark meaningful conversations about cultural heritage, geopolitics, and the human experience.
Image: Yto Barrada. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Magazine.
IN THE COLLECTION
Yto Barrada, "Green Palm", 2016
Steel structure with galvanized sheet metal and colored led electrical bulbs, 185 x 154 x 30 cm. Edition of 3 + 1 AP
Barrada frequently employs the motif of a palm tree. These were introduced to Morocco, positioning the nation as an alluring tourist destination. Barrada illuminates the nation's colonial history, given its past subjugation under Spanish and French occupation, the reverberations of which persist in contemporary times. The rapid surge of urban development in Morocco, through the establishment of hotels and golf courses, has had detrimental consequences on the region’s ecosystem. With half-blown light bulbs and unfinished paint, the metal palm tree evokes the superficial façade of tourism, masking the issues beneath.