Larissa Sansour’s show interweaves topical themes like forced migration and intergenerational trauma with imaginary worlds using science fiction, opera, and documentary materials as her vehicle of expression.
Past, present and possible futures converge in this exhibition by Palestinian–Danish artist Larissa Sansour (b. 1973), creating a space for rethinking contested territories and contemporary political issues. Sansour’s video works and installations address themes such as loss and inherited trauma, expanding to explore grief, memory, and the persistent threat of environmental catastrophe.
The exhibition offers an opportunity to reflect not only on the long history of the Israel-Palestine conflict but also on broader issues of national identity, shared human experiences, and collective memory. At its best, art provides a platform for discussing even the most difficult topics.
Larissa Sansour’s works are cinematic, poignantly beautiful, and multilayered. She blends layers of fact, fiction, and political history with topical themes in an aesthetically compelling way. The cinematic, precise visuality of the works invites viewers to immerse themselves in future landscapes where new ways to think become possible.
In recent years, I have been working with the concepts of loss, memory and inherited trauma, in reference the violence and dehumanisation perpetrated against the Palestinian people for more than a century. The scale of the human tragedy currently unfolding in Gaza further accentuates the cyclicality of violence and oppression, and I am very grateful to Amos Rex for giving a platform to Palestinian voices in this dire time,” says Sansour.
This is the first time Larissa Sansour’s works are exhibited on such a scale in Finland. Opening in October, the show consists of seven pieces created between 2009 and 2022. Sansour’s works have been showcased in numerous art institutions worldwide, including the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, KINDL in Berlin, Copenhagen Contemporary, and she represented Denmark at the Venice Biennale in 2019. Most of the works on display at Amos Rex were created in collaboration with writer and director Søren Lind.
Amos Rex’s director Kieran Long says this is a particularly significant moment to host Sansour’s exhibition when the war in Gaza and the immense human suffering it has caused have become evident to us all.
“The artist’s video works and installations evoke empathy and understanding, which feels crucial at this point in time. We hope the exhibition will offer visitors a space for new ideas and encounters. Above all, of course, we hope for peace in Palestine,” says Long.
The exhibition is curated by Terhi Tuomi. The Larissa Sansour exhibition will be on display at Amos Rex from 9 October 2024 to 2 March 2025.
Press release from Amos Rex
Image: Larissa Sansour & Søren Lind. Still from As If No Misfortune Had Occurred In The Night. 2022. Image courtesy of the artists
