Moroccan Roots and Parisian Paths Shape France’s Venice Biennale Choice
A French Moroccan artist will step into the spotlight for France at the 2026 Venice Biennale, but Yto Barrada’s journey is anything but conventional. Raised in Tangier and educated in Paris and New York, Barrada’s work blurs the lines between installation, film, photography, and sculpture, weaving together stories of cultural identity and historical memory.
Her art doesn’t just hang on walls—it invites participation, as seen in her vibrant concrete playground at MoMA PS1, where visitors become part of the piece. Barrada’s projects often challenge established narratives, drawing from her background in history and political science to question colonial legacies and celebrate acts of creative resistance.
Beyond her own practice, Barrada has nurtured Morocco’s art scene, co-founding the Cinémathèque de Tangier and launching The Mothership, a feminist and ecological residency. Her selection for France’s pavilion arrives as diplomatic ties between France and Morocco deepen—a fitting echo of her cross-cultural vision.
Art, for Barrada, is a bridge: not just between nations, but between past and future, memory and possibility.
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