Rosa Barba Italian, 1972

Rosa Barba (Agrigento, Italy, 1972) 

Born in Agrigento in 1972 and raised in Germany, Rosa Barba studied at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne and attended the Rijksakademie residency in Amsterdam. 

Her work builds on historical and socio-cultural research to offer an accurate reflection on the present. The artist creates videos and kinetic installations, making full use of the plastic characteristics of the 16- and 35-mm film techniques.

In her video installations, the camera often becomes part of the narrative and the projectors play a leading role, turning from technological instruments into main actors. These works disrupt the concept of time, the linearity of the story and the process of cinematic fruition itself.

Barba's imagery mixes experimental documentary, fiction and also performing elements. It addresses environmental, political and social issues, particularly by exploring the topic of how human intervention alters natural landscapes.

The filmmaking device – as a mechanical tool and film support – is at the centre of several installations of the artist in which cinema becomes sculpture.