Elisa Giardina Papa — She Flickered In and Out of History

An island emerges between Sicily and Tunisia in 1831, attracts competing territorial claims, then disappears beneath the sea. Elisa Giardina Papa returns to this history in a film where geological forces exceed human control. Coloured smoke, water and volcanic matter shift attention from borders to what undoes them. The island becomes less a territory to…

Un nuage violet s’élève au-dessus de la mer dans She Flickered In and Out of History d’Elisa Giardina Papa, 2026.

Elisa Giardina Papa — She Flickered In and Out of History, 2026. Image du film / film still, courtesy of the artist. Source : ICA London, dossier de presse / press release.

An island emerges between Sicily and Tunisia in 1831, attracts competing territorial claims, then disappears beneath the sea. Elisa Giardina Papa returns to this history in a film where geological forces exceed human control. Coloured smoke, water and volcanic matter shift attention from borders to what undoes them. The island becomes less a territory to possess than an apparition capable of unsettling our narratives of sovereignty.

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Film: 2026. Presented at ICA London, 17 July–6 September 2026. ICA video excerpt published 9 July 2026. Source and context.