ARTIST

Yto Barrada is recognized for her multidisciplinary investigations of cultural phenomena and historical narratives.

Informed by postcolonial thought and socio-political concerns, Barrada’s interests range from the tensions around borders, immigration, and tourism to the urban landscape, and from children’s toys to botany and paleontology. Her practice encompasses photography, film, sculpture, painting, printmaking, and publishing, while her installations are often comprised of both original work and found objects.

Nonverbal communication, family myths, “hidden transcripts” that unearth new grammars—within the interlinked logic of Barrada’s work lie secrets, pleasures and a celebration of strategies of resistance to domination.

Barrada arrived at her artist practice through studies of history and political science, particularly in the negotiation of political and personal experiences. Much of Barrada’s work has since focused on borderlands, microhistories, and autonomous agency within a political landscape.

CHARITY

Yto Barrada founded the non-profit Cinémathèque de Tanger (CDT) in 2006. Tangier’s first and only repertory cinema and archive, the Cinémathèque operates out of a restored 1930s theatre known as the Cinema Rif, located in one of the city’s main squares.

CDT is North Africa's first art house cinema and film archive. It offers screenings of contemporary and classic films from over 20 countries, as well as workshops, masterclasses, a café, and an archive.