Yto Barrada: Tree Identification for Beginners

Yto Barrada’s Tree Identification for Beginners collects imagery and documentation relating to her mother’s first visit to the US in 1966 as part of the Operation Crossroads Africa program.

Archival materials, reproduced on newsprint, present a complex history and challenge accepted narratives through myth, autobiography, and structures of learning. Included are a voiceover script of Barrada’s mother recounting her experience—part of the performance and film of the same name—and an interview with the artist by curator Adrienne Edwards. In 2018, the publication won a Most Beautiful Swiss Books award from the Swiss Office of Culture.