General content warnings for the exhibition:
dark, sound, moving image
The exhibition space is dark.
There are sounds and moving images in the exhibition space. The sound in the second large exhibition hall comes from different directions and can evoke bodily sensations.
Please do not touch the artwork.
Larissa Sansour
Before your visit
We recommend buying tickets online in advance, even if you have a Museum Card. With an online ticket, you ensure that you can enter the museum at exactly the time of your choice. If there is a queue at the museum, only those with tickets bought online may skip the line.
If you have purchased a ticket online, arrive at the museum from the Kamppi side, through the accessible entrance from Lasipalatsi Square. So, enter from the Lasipalatsi square and show your ticket at the checkpoint, and you will receive that day’s entry sticker. Welcome to the museum!
In case you need accessible entry, you can enter through the doors on the Lasipalatsi Square side even without a pre-purchased online ticket. The door also serves as an entrance for groups that have reserved guided tours or hosted visits.
Amos Rex is showing the Palestinian-Danish artist Larissa Sansour’s first extensive solo exhibition in Finland. Sansour’s video works and installations mix current political topics with imagined worlds. The set of seven works being shown in the Amos Rex exhibition are from 2009–2022.
The themes of the works in the exhibition are related to the artist’s lived experience and cultural heritage. Sansour makes use of the narrative and experimental visuals of sci-fi, documentary and opera. While dealing with the conflict in Palestine that has lasted for almost a century, she also looks to the future. Her works evoke reflection and expand into universal studies of grief, memory and inherited trauma.
The total duration of the video works in the exhibition is 92 minutes. Start times of video works are not announced separately. You can spend as much time as you like in the exhibition. But please allow enough time for your museum visit if you want to watch all the videos from start to finish.
As a whole, the sensory load of the exhibition is fairly high.
The exhibition is suited to those of lower-secondary-school age and older. The works contain images of explosions, a city overtaken by black oil, and documentary images of soldiers handling weapons. The sounds and music in the exhibition may momentarily feel exciting. We recommend that visitors with children look at Amos Rex for Children, where you will find tips for visiting the exhibition:
Exhibition route and conditions in the exhibition halls
The artworks in the Larissa Sansour exhibition occupy five different spaces. You can spend as much time as you like in the exhibition and visit the different spaces freely.
The exhibition halls are dark. Seating, signs and the exit from each exhibition hall are illuminated, while connecting routes are dimly lit. The sound of the film As If No Misfortune Had Appeared in The Night in the second large exhibition hall comes from several directions. It fills the whole space and can evoke bodily sensations. There is more detailed, artwork-specific information below. If necessary, you can borrow hearing protectors from the Amos Rex’s lower lobby. Ask the staff for more information.
Many of Larissa Sansour’s works deal with grief, loss and trauma. Some of the works contain documentary images of war, such as of exploding earth and of battles fought during the First World War. No artwork features images of corpses or the killing of people.
Content and sensory notices for works
We have gathered here information about artworks that have something noteworthy regarding content or sensory load.
Monument For Lost Time (2019)
This artwork consists of a sculpture on a pedestal in the shape of a large globe. It is painted completely black, and it may not be possible to separate the sculpture from the surrounding space. The work includes a low-frequency soundscape transmitted through speakers.
In Vitro (2019)
This film is shown in a two-channel projection on screen in the first exhibition hall. The film is in Arabic and subtitled in English. There are Finnish and Swedish subtitles on a separate, floor-mounted screen. The film is in black and white, and the momentarily loud sound is played through speakers. There are benches by the screen where you can sit.
As If No Misfortune Had Occurred in the Night (2022)
This collection of works about grief and loss consists of an installation built in the exhibition hall and a film.
The installation contains a space separated off from the rest of the exhibition hall with a curtain. You are welcome to enter the space. Inside is a pool with tree trunks hanging from the ceiling above it. The installation can be experienced standing in front of the pool.
The film next to the installation shows an opera in Arabic, as a three-channel projection in black and white onto a large wall. The film contains brief glimpses of documentary images of war (close-up of a tank, soldiers handling weapons in trenches, exploding earth). The video is subtitled in Arabic and English, with Finnish and Swedish subtitles shown in alternate screenings. All the subtitles are shown above the projected film. There are benches by the film work where you can sit.
The sound of the film (opera singing and music) is played from several speakers set up in different parts of the exhibition space. The sound, which fills the whole space, can be heard from different directions at the same time, and can evoke bodily sensations. If necessary, you can borrow hearing protectors from Amos Rex, ask the staff for help.
Studio Rex: Futures School
Studio Rex is the museum’s artistic research space. You can come here to create, relax, and reflect on the art you have just experienced. Everyone is welcome – no matter what your interest in art is.
For the duration of the Larissa Sansour exhibition, Amos Rex and the Children and Youth Foundation’s Futures School have created two spaces in Studio Rex where you can explore alternative futures: a smaller space open to everyone and a large workshop space. The two sides are separated by a wall.
The large workshop space is on the left side of Studio Rex as seen from the lobby. It is primarily intended for groups with advance bookings who are participating in art workshops and guided tours. When there are no groups in the space, you are free to visit this space as well. In the workshop room you can challenge your imagination and construct movie stills about alternative futures. There are workpoints on the tables, and instructions for activities beside the workpoints.
The small space open to everyone is to the right of Studio Rex as seen from the lobby and is always open to all visitors. You are welcome to visit here can also when there is a group on the other side taking part in a workshop or guided tour. However, please be considerate and let the group work in peace. In this space, you can participate in envisioning different future scenarios by modifying the timelines posted on the wall. If you prefer to rest or browse the exhibition brochure, that is also fine. The space contains different pieces of furniture that you can sit on, and a stand with exhibition brochures in Finnish, Swedish and English.
There is always a discussion guide in Studio Rex, who you can ask for directions on how to participate in the activities on offer, or to discuss your exhibition experience.
You can pop into Studio Rex during your exhibition visit or book an art workshop or intro-guided tour for your group.
