Here After is conceived of as a timely intervention in the B7L9 programme that addresses ideas about the future, specifically focused on the work of Palestinian artists and practitioners who have taken on this theme. Often addressed in science and speculative fiction, the theme of ‘the future’ takes on a different dimension when the construction or the conception of a future is a challenging and even defiant act. The exhibition title is derived from a term related to this theme. Rather than focusing on the past, and on a location often conceived as somewhere ‘over there’, Here After places one’s ideas, experience, and imagination at the center, in space and in time, positioned forward, towards whatever future that lies ahead.
This intervention seeks to provide a counterpoint to the schism between monochromatic and fixed conceptions of Palestine, and the numerous, diverse, and divergent speculations, lived experiences, imaginations, critiques, and ideas whose possibilities are only hinted at here.
Artists’ biographies
Karim Kattan
Karim Kattan is a writer. He holds a doctoral degree in comparative literature from Paris Nanterre University. In French, his books include a collection of short stories, Préliminaires pour un verger futur (2017), and a novel, Le Palais des deux collines (2021), which were both published by the Tunis-based Éditions Elyzad. In English, his work has appeared in The Paris Review, Strange Horizons, The Maine Review, +972 Magazine, The Funambulist, and more. He was one of the co-founders and directors of el-Atlal, an arts and writing residency in the oasis of Jericho (Palestine). His writing was featured in the French Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019, at the 12a Bienal Internacional de Arquitetura de São Paulo, at the MMAG Foundation, and in other venues. Karim is the host of Midnight Ocean, a show on Radio alHara that airs live at midnight every Friday.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CanBaJ0Fq_C/
Lifta
Founded in 2018, LIFTA is a space led by the imagination. Prioritizing collaboration and humancentric processes, LIFTA develops projects across different mediums including publications, exhibitions, and film. Crafted by people of the region, their inaugural project is a book centered upon the theme of “Future Palestine”. Volume 1 Features work from emerging and award-winning writers, poets, architects, curators, researchers and artists from Palestine and its diaspora. The second volume will take the format of a long-term archival initiative based in CDMX exploring Diasporic communities from the Arab world.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CaVN93TFLZn/
The contributors from Lifta’s that are participating in this exhibition include:
Haneen Adi - Alia Al Sabi - Mirna Bamieh / Palestine Hosting Society - Selma Dabbagh - Alia Gilbert - Lina Hegazi, Makimakkuk, Muqata'a, and Julmud - Abdullah Hindash and Jenan Ismail - Lena Mansour, XO, and Al-Hirra Al-Sawdaa - Mooni Studio - Lina Meruane - Dima Srouji - Ala Younis
Larissa Sansour
Larissa Sansour was born in 1973 in East Jerusalem, Palestine, and studied fine arts in London, New York and Copenhagen. Central to her work is the dialectics between myth and historical narrative. In her recent works, she uses science-fiction to address social and political issues. Working mainly with film, Sansour also produces installations, photos and sculptures. Sansour’s work is shown in film festivals and museums worldwide. In 2019, she represented Denmark at the 58th Venice Biennial. In 2020, she was the shared recipient of the prestigious Jarman Award. She has shown her work at Tate Modern, MoMA, Centre Pompidou and the Istanbul Biennial. Recent solo exhibitions include Copenhagen Contemporary in Denmark, Bluecoat in Liverpool, Bildmuseet in Umeå and Dar El-Nimer in Beirut. Sansour currently lives and works in London.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CaSj2USl2rh/
