The premiere presentation of Larissa Sansour in Iceland is reflected by the surrounding lava landscape of the Reykjanes peninsula. That is no coincidence. This landscape has experienced hundreds of earthquakes and dozens of eruptions in the past few years and traces of the former U.S. Airforce base can be found everywhere, from underground bunkers to abandoned buildings and buried barrels with undetermined chemical waste. The exhibition is hosted by an art museum in a municipality with most diverse population in Iceland, boasting of the country’s highest number of languages, nationalities, and refugees. 

Working closely with the author, director, and scriptwriter Søren Lind, Sansour has for over two decades been setting her films in science-fiction surroundings. While drawing on Palestinian histories her work also anticipates possible futures. It is a space where global politics are dealt with through extraordinary images and poetic language. The films are in Arabic with women as the main protagonists. Addressing themes of loss, grief, power, history writing, and the role of memory in shaping both individual and collective understanding – her work portrays possible resistance against arbitrary national borders and ecocide. 

The exhibition is curated by Jonatan Habib Engqvist, an international, independent curator and author based in Stockholm. Jonatan is well known in Iceland for his exhibition projects with Icelandic and foreign artists. 

The exhibition open until August 17, 2025. The Past Never Was, It Only Is, is sponsored by The Icelandic Visual Arts Council and Museum Council of Iceland.