The name of the exhibition FuturePast (2023) references a work of art by Kristin E. Hrafnsson (b. 1960). Part of that work features the following words: Framundan: endalaus fortíð/Ahead: endless past. The lettering indicates that it has been written by a small child. Another part of the same work is Að baki: endalaus framtíð/ Behind: endless future, which concludes the exhibition. In this case the lettering has been written by an aged but skilled hand towards the end of a lifetime. The sentences are written by real people, at opposite ends of their lives. Who are we? may be asked. Are we the same people all our lives?
The exhibition is held on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Iceland. Works have been selected from the collection of the National Gallery of Iceland, by artists who address such concepts as autonomy and national identity, and what it means to be a nation. Is the nation the same now as it was 80 years ago? Does it change, as a person changes over the course of their life?
