Present Tense is an installation comprising 2,200 square blocks of soap, meticulously arranged on the floor to create a unified surface. Embedded within this surface are small red glass beads, outlining the map of the Middle East as it stood at the time of the 1993 Oslo peace agreement between Palestinian and Israeli authorities. Crafted from ephemeral and transient materials (soap and glass beads), Hatoum's cartography underscores the fleeting nature of recent territorial delineations while simultaneously expressing the enduring yearning for liberation among its inhabitants. The title of the work, Present Tense, alludes to the ongoing social tensions and the ever-changing nature of territories shaped by the diverse political agendas of states.