Larissa Sansour shakes the ground in Extra City

In her first solo exhibition in Belgium, Larissa Sansour will be presenting her multimedia installation While We Count Our Earthquakes at Kunsthal Extra City in Antwerp. Sansour, who has distinguished herself in film, sculpture, photography and installation art, conceived the aforementioned installation in cooperation with writer and director Søren Lind, creating a sprawling work that spans the entirety of the space, which is situated in a former Dominican church.

The installation spans video, opera and sculpture, and touches upon tragedy, suffering and environmental catastrophe viewed through the lenses of speculative narratives and science fiction aesthetics. Sansour's installation comprises the video work As If No Misfortune Had Occurred in the Night, a haunting opera featuring Palestinian soprano Nour Darwish singing an aria by Lebanese composer Anthony Sahyoun, its melody expressing the loss, mourning and inherited trauma of the Palestinian people as it reverberates throughout the exhibition space.

Sansour reimagines the Palestinian past and anticipates possible futures for the land and people that stretch far beyond current circumstances. Her film In Vitro, a science fiction short set in a post-apocalyptic Bethlehem that was first shown in the Danish Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale, also features in the exhibition, alongside a new sculptural work titled From the Remains of Those We Lost, which meditates on questions of genetics, cloning and legacy.

Initially trained as a painter, Sansour made the shift early in her career towards photography and video. Her videos, films, sculptures and installations – which draw their inspiration from pop culture and activism – have brought her an international reputation for their politically-charged messages and striking visuals.

While We Count Our Earthquakes is on view at Kunsthal Extra City through September 21, 2025. Check out the site for more details about Sansour's exhibition and upcoming events.