Utopia

Archival inkjet print, 50 cm x 40 cm, 2023

Sayyad’s photography is distinct from Maroun Tomb’s practice, but selecting his title Still Life pushed her to experiment with the potential of still life beyond her own practice. Ironically, Palestine’s history has transformed it time and again with brutal colonialism and apartheid that fuel an ever-changing impermanence—one that lives in stark contrast with the stillness and preservation that lie at the core of photography. As a diaspora Palestinian, Sayyad’s own lived experience has been marked with instability and loss as a result of being separated from her culture, heritage, and language. She has deeply engaged with memory by revisiting an older work that explores the notion of utopias, which are often framed in a Western discourse as idealized paradises. Yet this is hardly true in practice, with the Zionist colonial project in Palestine providing a striking example of a project that emerged under the guise of a progressive utopia that has materialized as a deeply violent, fascist, and imperial entity. Like the “perfect” still life that appears harmonious and beautiful, at closer inspection this utopia reveals layers: political, historical and emotional dimensions that mask violent power structures rooted in the displacement and erasure of indigenous populations.

Nora Sayyad is a Finnish-Palestinian photographer, artist, and visual reporter whose experimental lens pushes the boundaries of documentary and fiction storytelling. Born in Sweden and based in Helsinki, she weaves culture, identity, and intersectionality into bold narratives that challenge perception and center empathy. Sayyad’s work straddles human rights, wellbeing, and the complex liminal spaces of lived experience. Sayyad holds a Master’s degree from Aalto University, Finland and lives in Helsinki, Finland.