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. This collaborative project, which takes as its title the 1964 autobiography of Moroccan storyteller Driss Ben Hamed Charhadi as narrated to Paul Bowles, focuses on the asymmetries of
neo-colonial relationships between
North Africa and
Europe 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 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,
Berlin (2011), and then travelled to
Wiels, 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 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 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 in
Toronto, Ontario, depicting issues and images of
post-colonial 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 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. 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 during Barrada's residency there, and 2019 is the first time it has been shown in the United States. ==Selected exhibitions==