Er ekki lengur | No Longer | لَمْ تَعُدْ
Nermine El Ansari
November 30 – December 17, 2023
The French-born, Egyptian artist El Ansari left her home in Cairo in the aftermath of the Arab Spring revolts that took place in the Middle East and North Africa at the end of 2010s. She moved to Iceland, where she worked as a translator from Arabic to English for the Icelandic Directorate of Immigration and the LGBTQIA+ organization Samtökin78. In both her work and art, El Ansari has been deeply engaged with issues of human rights and dignity, and notions of home and homeland.
In this exhibition the viewer hears the voice of the Sudanese poet, writer, and activist Moneim Rahama (presently exiled in France), who reads “No Longer,” a poem written on October 23. The voice recording is layered with a composed sound work. The immersive installation includes a montage of images El Ansari created in response to both personal experience and stories told by people facing forced displacement with whom she has worked closely.
The artist wishes to thank Moneim Rahama, Adam Świtała Piotr Pawlus, and Rania Berro for their collaboration.
