Louisa Babari's BBR Traces Algerian Roots at Passages Centre d'Art Contemporain
From May 30 to August 14, 2026, the Passages Centre d'Art Contemporain in Troyes will host a solo exhibition titled BBR by Louisa Babari. This exhibition showcases 80 pieces, which include family photographs, archival images, drawings, collages, and a video, most of which were created specifically for this event. BBR delves into the lineage of Babari's surname, tracing its roots back to the Numidian area of Algeria's Aurès region and weaving a narrative that connects her family history with Algerian heritage. The title reflects Babari's findings in Algeria, where the Babari tribe is referred to as BBR on ancient stelae. Co-produced by AWARE and DCA, it is part of the Saison Méditerranée 2026 initiative. Babari, whose heritage includes an Algerian father and a Russian mother, examines themes of identity, migration, and colonial histories in her art.
Key facts
- Louisa Babari's solo exhibition BBR at Passages Centre d'Art Contemporain, Troyes, runs from May 30 to August 14, 2026.
- The exhibition includes 80 works, most produced specifically for the exhibition, featuring family photographs, archival images, drawings, collages, and a video.
- BBR symbolically retraces the history of the artist's surname, Babari, rooted in the Numidian territory of the Aurès region in Algeria.
- The exhibition title emerged from the artist's research in Algeria, where the Babari tribe is identified as BBR on certain stelae.
- The exhibition is co-produced by AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research & Exhibitions, in partnership with DCA – the French Association for the Development of Contemporary Art Centers.
- The exhibition has been awarded the label Saison Méditerranée 2026, organized by the Institut Français.
- Louisa Babari was born to an Algerian father and Russian mother, and grew up between culturally distant countries.
- Babari's work has been exhibited at CNEAI, MUCEM, Raw Material Company, Dakar Biennale, BOZAR, Manifesta 13, CNAP, FRAC Centre–Val de Loire, and the [mac] in Marseille.
Entities
Artists
- Louisa Babari
- Elisabeth Lebovici
- Salma Mochtari
Institutions
- Passages Centre d'Art Contemporain
- AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research & Exhibitions
- DCA – the French Association for the Development of Contemporary Art Centers
- Institut Français
- Sciences Po Paris
- National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO)
- Centre national édition art image (CNEAI)
- Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MUCEM)
- Raw Material Company
- Dakar Biennale
- BOZAR
- Maison des Arts de Malakoff
- Manifesta 13
- National Center for Visual Arts (CNAP)
- FRAC Centre–Val de Loire
- [mac] Marseille
- Roberto Cimetta Fund
- Pan-African Poetry Programme
- Analyse. Opinion. Critique
- Something We Africans Got
- Cabeza de Chorlito
Locations
- Troyes
- France
- Algeria
- Aurès
- Numidian
- Paris
- Chatou
- Marseille
- Dakar
- Senegal
- Brussels
- Belgium
- Malakoff
- Orléans