Yto Barrada - A Life Full of Holes

Even a life full of holes, a life of nothing but waiting, is better than no life at all. Driss Ben Hamed Charhadi, A Life Full of Holes (1964)

The Strait is an ongoing photographic project initiated in 1998 by Yto Barrada (b. Paris, 1971). It examines the hope of migration and its influence on the Tangier cityscape. The title refers to the Strait of Gibraltar, the narrow channel that divides Europe and Africa, but for Yto Barrada, Strait is another word for the temptation of departure, a commonplace that gives the streets of Tangier the form of an imaginary space into which all the obstinate dreams of leaving the country are engulfed. What she seeks to capture in her photographs are the temptations of leaving, rather than veritable attempts, in a reportage-like style.

The exhibition in Witte de With consists of approximately 50 pictures taken in Tangier from 1998 to 2004, and the film The Magician (2003, 18 min.).

Symposium: June 26, 2004, 11 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. On the occasion of the presentation of Yto Barrada’s photographic work, Witte de With is organizing a series of debates. The discussions will address the issue of migration in contemporary Moroccan society.

Participants: Yto Barrada, Sylvaine Bulle, Bouchra Khalili, Fouad Laroui, Anaïs Masson, Stefania Pandolfo, Maxence Rifflet, Nadia Tazi and Mohamed Tozy. Catherine David will chair the proceedings. The debate will be conducted in English.

With the support of the Institut Français des Pays-Bas Pressetext

Yto Barrada - A Life Full of Holes – THE STRAIT project
Ausstellung und Symposium

Symposium: 26.06.04 11:00 – 16:30
TeilnehmerInnen: Yto Barrada, Sylvaine Bulle, Bouchra Khalili, Fouad Laroui, Anaïs Masson, Stefania Pandolfo, Maxence Rifflet, Nadia Tazi, Mohamed Tozy
Moderation: Catherine David