Past Continuous

Past Continuous—Places of Identity and Dilemmas of the Present
Elmira Abdolhassani, Majd Alloush, Parisa Aminolahi, Navid Azimi Sajadi, Nilbar Güreş, Wafa Hourani, Camila Salame
Co-curated by Katharina Ehrl and Davood Madadpoor

Past Continuous—Places of Identity and Dilemmas of the Present explores the relationship between memory, identity, and the dilemmas of contemporaneity. At the exhibition’s core lies the understanding that memory is integral to how we think about personal and cultural identity. Identity is not fixed or absolute—it is a fluid, continuous, and infinite process. Like the grammatical tense it refers to, Past Continuous implies actions or events that began in the past and persist into the present. The artworks on view are shaped by the past and inextricably tied to the present moment. The participating artists employ and deconstruct different aspects of memory and identity, as well as the histories embedded in them—ranging from “a nostalgic psychological return to the past” to “a self-identity and embodiment of cultural memory” (Hall, 1983, p.393).

Some of the works are playful or carry a mischievous tone, while others draw deeply from heritage and historical reflection to address the complexities of the present and the intricacies of identity. Yet all the works are connected by a strong sense of contemporaneity, challenging and blurring the boundaries between what was and is. The shared thread throughout all three chapters is a critical engagement with history, identity, and collective memory—woven from objects, documents, stories, and lived experiences. The works across the series mark tension and transformation by interrogating and recasting everyday materials and moments, exposing their links to current social and political realities. Beyond acknowledging the historical conditions that have shaped the present, Past Continuous reflects on contemporaneity as a space marked by friction, uncertainty, and constant redefinition.