The work of Rosa Barba makes unconventional and inventive use of cinematic effects, mediums, and modes of presentation. Her installations and objects engage essential filmic components such as celluloid, projection, light, and sound to present historical narratives and examinations of geographical locations while heightening our awareness of film’s material properties. Light projections and modified projector-sculptures function as physically-present objects in the gallery that also convey information; in other words, film for Barba serves as both subject and object. CAM’s presentation is her first solo exhibition in a museum in the United States and marks the American debut for a series of works focusing on California’s Mojave Desert.
On the occasion of this exhibition, CAM has produced the latest edition in Barba’s ongoing Printed Cinema artist’s book series, Printed Cinema #13: Desert—Performed.
Rosa Barba (b. 1972, Agrigento, Italy) currently lives and works in Berlin. She has had recent solo exhibitions at Kunsthaus Zürich (2012); Jeu de Paume, Paris (2012); Fondazione Galleria Civica – Center of Research on Contemporary Art, Trento, Italy (2011); MART, Rovereto, Italy (2011); Tate Modern, London (2010); Villa Romana, Florence (2008); and Bildmuseet, Umeå, Sweden (2008). In 2013, her work will appear in solo exhibitions at Cornerhouse, Manchester; Turner Contemporary, Margate, UK; Bergen Kunsthall, Norway; and MUSAC, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Léon, Spain. In 2010, she curated the exhibition, A Curated Conference: On the Future of Collective Strength within an Archive atMuseo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid. In 2008, Dia Art Foundation in New York commissioned Barba’s first web-based project, Vertiginous Mapping. Her work has also been featured in group exhibitions at the 53rd Venice Biennale (2009); Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (2009); Kunsthalle, Basel (2008); Torino Triennale, Turin (2008); and Sculpture Center, New York (2008); among many others. Barba is the recipient of several prizes, including the Nam June Paik Award (2010) and a DAAD Grant (2003), both in Germany. She studied at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne and has attended several residency programs including IASPIS, Stockholm (2007-08), and the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam (2003-04).
Desert—Performed is organized for the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis by Kelly Shindler, Assistant Curator.