Yto Barrada was born in Paris in 1971 and was educated in Tangier. She later studied history and political science at the Sorbonne, Paris and photography at the International Centre of Photography, New York. Work from the Strait Project has been exhibited at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies (Barcelona), the Villa Medici (Rome), the Witte de With (Rotterdam), the Museum of Modern Art (New York), and the Photographer's Gallery (London). Yto Barrada is a founder and the director of programming of the Cinémathèque de Tangier, Morocco's only venue for independent cinema and repertory programming. In 2006 the Strait Project was shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize. She now lives and works in Tangier and Paris.

Recent articles

Over the last 15 years, the Strait of Gibraltar has become one of the main gateways for illegal immigration in north Africa. Yto Barrada's photographs, taken between 1998 - 2004, capture the temptations of leaving, and the unfulfilled hopes of escaping into Europe. Charlotte Collins talks to her.