The Franco-Moroccan artist is chosen for her groundbreaking multidisciplinary practice that amplifies marginalised voices and reimagines modernist canons through social sculpture and alternative pedagogies.
© Benoît Peverelli
Following a selection process organised by the Institut français, Yto Barrada has been chosen to represent France at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2026. This decision was made by a committee chaired by Claire Le Restif, director of the Ivry – le Crédac Contemporary Art Centre. It was approved by Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture.
The jury selected Yto Barrada for her multidisciplinary practice, which brings together various artistic and social communities to pursue a new utopia. An iconoclastic researcher and boundary-pushing artist, Barrada reinvents the concept of ‘social sculpture’ through alternative pedagogies, transforming modernist canons into a pluralistic vision. From Paris to Tangier and New York, she creates a unique cartography that amplifies marginalised voices—historical, fragile, unseen, or forgotten—and shares their stories. This approach is central to her invitation to present her work at the French Pavilion and engage with the Biennale’s audience.
Born in Paris in 1971, Yto Barrada is a Franco-Moroccan artist who divides her time between New York and Tangier. She studied history and political science at the Sorbonne and photography in New York. Over the past 25 years, she has developed a diverse practice that spans installation, film, photography, sculpture, textiles, and publishing. Her long-term projects address themes such as alternative pedagogies, the politicisation of botany in urban policies, international fossil trafficking, colonial anthropology, Pan-Africanism, and Cold War cultural policies.
Barrada’s work often explores cultural phenomena, natural processes, and historical narratives, focusing on the transmission of local knowledge, the circulation of aesthetic forms, and strategies of social disobedience. Emphasising community, artistic kinship, and collaboration with friends and family, her projects reinterpret modernist avant-garde movements.
In 2006, Barrada co-founded the Cinémathèque de Tanger. She also established The Mothership, a research and residency centre built around a dye plant garden she has nurtured for a decade. The Mothership is a gathering space for artists, gardeners, and thinkers, advocating a feminist, ecological, and playful approach to creation and knowledge transmission.
Barrada’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions at institutions including Jeu de Paume in Paris (2006), Renaissance Society in Chicago (2011), Tate Modern in London (2011), Walker Art Center in Minneapolis (2013), and many others. She has participated in numerous biennales, including Venice (2007, 2011), Sharjah (2011), Istanbul (2013), and Gwangju (2018). Her works are held in public collections worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou (Paris), MoMA (New York), Tate Modern (London), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York).
Barrada has received numerous honours, including being named Artist of the Year by Deutsche Guggenheim in 2011, the Peabody Museum Fellowship at Harvard University (2013-2014), the Soros Arts Fellowship in 2023, and the Abraaj Group Art Prize in 2015. She is represented by Polaris Gallery (Paris), Sfeir-Semler Gallery (Beirut, Hamburg), and Pace Gallery (New York, London, Seoul, Hong Kong, Geneva, Los Angeles, Tokyo).
The French Pavilion
The Institut français organises the French Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia under the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and Culture. The 61st edition will showcase Yto Barrada’s project in a newly renovated space following a year of work and an edition outside the Biennale di Architettura 2025. Financed by France, this restoration aims to improve the building’s energy performance, enhance visitor experiences, and modernise the existing facilities. The project, led by Venetian architect Donata Cherido, will begin in January 2025 and take 15 months to complete.
