Brussels-based artists and filmmakers Sirah Foighel Brutmann (b.1983) and Eitan Efrat (b.1983) produced this new project Là as their first museum exhibition. The title affectionately refers to Là-bas, the 2006 film by the late Belgian director Chantal Akerman (1950 - 2015).
Phonetically, Là (meaning 'there' in French) means different things in Arabic and Hebrew. In Arabic, لا means no (the negation of hegemonic narratives on the land). In Hebrew, לה means for her (a tribute or a sort of offering to Chantal Akerman). Là represents both a continuation of Brutmann and Efrat’s imaginary dialogue with Chantal Akerman and an audiovisual journey between Belgium and the Negev/al-Naqab desert in Israel/Palestine, whilst examining the belief of belonging through natural elements and historical accountability.
With Là, both artists lament the world left behind by Akerman and offer a reassessment of European Jewish accountability to Israel and the ongoing Palestinian Nakba from a “post-Zionist” perspective, in line with the rich history of Belgian Jewish anti-fascist movements.
