Moroccan artist Yto Barrada withdraws works from Barbican exhibition over Gaza talk

French Moroccan artist Yto Barrada has withdrawn her work from a major art show at the Barbican called «Unravel», protesting the art facility's decision to cancel a talk about the Israel-Gaza conflict, the Guardian reported on Friday. 

Barrada, alongside Filipino artist Cian Dayrit, criticized the Barbican for not allowing open discussion on the topic.

«We cannot take seriously a public institution that does not hold a space for free thinking and debate, however challenging it might feel to some staff, board members, or anxious politicians», Barrada argued.

The Barbican, the London-based performing arts centre, says they couldn't properly prepare for the talk due to early publicity. However, some, including the speaker Pankaj Mishra, believe the real reason is fear of controversy.

This isn't the first time the Barbican has been accused of censorship. Last year, they apologized for asking a Palestinian speaker to avoid certain topics.

Born in Paris, Barrada is an artist living and working in Tangier and New York City. She co-founded the Cinémathèque de Tanger in 2006 and is the artistic director for the Tangier art house movie theatre. He was previously a member of the Beirut-based Arab Image Foundation.