Yto

Barrada

review

–

unravelling

the

threads

of

colonialism

one

pretty

silk

at

a

time

Political resistance is dyed in the wool for Yto Barrada. The Moroccan artist has spent her career experimenting with colour theory, deep diving into the history of dyes, disentangling the threads of colonialism and exploitation that run through the history of art. Her show at the South London Gallery is basically colour theory as resistance, minimalism as revolt, the dyeing process as anti-colonialism.

If that sounds brain numbingly leaden and eye-meltingly dull, you might be surprised by the results, because the gallery is actually a very pleasant pastel wonderland. The space is painted in thick white and light pink stripes (in a nod to a Daniel Buren mural in Casablanca that got painted over). It’s like walking through a bag of sweets. The walls are dotted with silk canvases that ripple with geometric shapes and shimmering soft colours. The dyes come from the Mothership, Barrada’s “eco-campus” in Tangier where she grows the plants and processes the pigments that get used in these artworks.