On May 8, 2025, the vibrant creative hub of Khoj Studios in New Delhi became the setting for a rare and enriching public conversation between Franco-Moroccan artist Yto Barrada and curator Anushka Rajendran. The event, hosted by the Institut français and the French Institute in India, in partnership with the India Art Fair and warmly supported by KHOJ, marked the first “resonance” of the French Pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale on Indian soil—an inspiring moment of cultural cross-pollination.
Yto Barrada, who has been announced as France’s representative at the Venice Biennale next year, brought to the conversation her expansive and nuanced artistic practice that seamlessly bridges photography, film, installation, and pedagogy. Centered on the theme “Redefining Social Sculpture,” the evening unraveled the layers of her work which engages with social relations, subaltern histories, and institutional narratives, and has earned her international recognition across leading art institutions including MoMA, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, and earlier editions of the Venice Biennale (2007 and 2011).
Barrada’s current interests, notably her focus on craft, labor, and material culture, strongly resonated with the Indian context. During her visit, she immersed herself in exploring traditional Indian textile and dyeing practices, reflecting her deep engagement with local knowledge systems. These experiences will shape her upcoming exhibition at Durbar Hall in Kochi, scheduled to open in October 2025—a promising new chapter in her evolving body of work.
In conversation with Anushka Rajendran, the dialogue brought to light how Barrada’s notion of social sculpture is grounded in collective memory, ecology, and the poetic reinvention of everyday materials. Her experimental approach also touches upon alternative pedagogies, highlighting the artist’s commitment to community and knowledge-sharing beyond conventional art spaces.
Biography of Yto Barrada
Born in Paris in 1971, Yto Barrada is a Franco-Moroccan artist whose practice straddles photography, film, sculpture, prints, and installations. A graduate in history and political science from the Sorbonne and trained in photography in New York, Barrada first gained acclaim for her work exploring the social and political fabric of Tangier, her hometown.
In 2006, she co-founded the Cinémathèque de Tanger, a landmark cultural project that revived a neglected cinema into a thriving space for film and dialogue. She later established The Mothership, a residency and research space that brings together artists, gardeners, and thinkers, embodying her feminist, ecological, and radically curious worldview.
Her numerous accolades include being named Artist of the Year by the Deutsche Guggenheim (2011), the Peabody Museum Fellowship at Harvard (2013–2014), the Soros Arts Fellowship (2023), the Abraaj Group Art Prize (2015), and more recently, the Mario Merz Prize and the Queen Sonja Print Award (2022).
Barrada’s work continues to be showcased globally in institutions such as Tate Modern, MoMA, and Centre Pompidou, cementing her reputation as one of the most vital voices redefining the contours of contemporary art today.
This event was a celebration of cross-cultural resonance, creative inquiry, and the ever-expanding boundaries of art as a tool for social reflection and transformation. The evening concluded with a spirited exchange between the artist and the audience, continuing into informal conversations over refreshments, thanks to Noe and Lonewolf, the evening’s gracious F&B partners.