About the Artists
Yto Barrada
Brooklyn-based artist Yto Barrada studied history and political science at the Sorbonne and photography in New York. Her work— including photography, film, sculpture, prints and installations—began by exploring the peculiar situation of her hometown Tangier. Barrada’s work has been exhibited at Tate Modern, MoMA, The Met, Renaissance Society, Witte de With, the Walker Art Centre, Whitechapel Gallery (London), and the 2007 and 2011 Venice Biennales. She was the 2011 Deutsche Bank Artist of the Year, the 2013 Robert Gardner Fellow in Photography (Peabody Museum at Harvard University), the 2015 Abraaj Group Art Prize winner and shortlisted for the 2016 Marcel Duchamp Award. Barrada is also the founding director of the Cinémathèque de Tanger.
Julie Klear
With children as a central theme in her work, Julie Klear is an international art director, product designer, art educator, and children’s book illustrator. She was co-founder and creative director of Zid Zid Kids (2003-2016), an award-winning children’s brand of handmade toys and accessories distributed in 20+ countries. As an artist-art educator, she has created play spaces and workshops for children in galleries, museums and schools in the US, the Middle East, Europe and in Morocco. Collaborators include The US Embassy, The British Council, Bahrain Ministry for Families, Wiels Museum Belgium, Marrakech Biennale, Cinémathèque du Tangier, Four Seasons Hotel, Royal Mansour Hotel, Selman Hotel, Louis Vuitton, Art Dubai, among others. In 2016, she launched Zid Zid, a new digital venture focused on the first play-based language learning platform for preschoolers.