Decolonizing Museums
“A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing.”[1]
We are at a crossroads. This is a crucial moment for ethnographic studies and non-western ethnological collection studies collected from the ex-colonies exactly because it coincides with the new museum definition accorded by the 2022 ICOM general council in Prague. Portugal, country where I am writing this from, like other European countries with a colonial history/past, is still searching for its post-colonial identity and the question of its non-western art and heritage housed in many of its national museums is a part of the answer it seeks as a nation. But this answer is unique to each country. It is not the same answer as perhaps the answer that Belgium seeks, or The Netherlands seeks or Germany or France…Each nation has a long journey ahead in the process of decolonization of its museums.
Several countries have already begun this process and have ordered reports on the collections build upon colonial artefacts. France, The Netherlands, and England are some of the countries that had overseas possessions for centuries and which fed their museums with looted art and culture. The issue of returning looted art to its origin has been gaining notoriety and dimension in the public domain as a next step in the process of decolonization. In Portugal it’s imperative that this issue is discussed openly and to rethink the ethnographic collections and displays in its national museums. Exhibitions are held captive of their aesthetic qualities and the institutions responsible for them.
Another issue concerning nineteen century etnological collections is the lack of objective information regarding its sourcing. Today this information is considered vital for a proper, just and concrete narrative. The lack of information has curators and historians looking for other ways of presenting and analyzing the collections. [2] This problem arises exactly from collections gathered from ex-colonies during periods of civil unrest and general lack of care towards the cultures which objects represented with the only goal being amassing the greateast number of “curiosities” to feed the next big international art fair and the national museums. ICOM aware of these questions, among other issues concerning modernizing the museum concept, proposed the revision of the term which was accepted with a majority vote of 92,41%.[3]
The Humboldt Forum, a new museum focused on Germany´s colonial past to open in 2023 in Berlin has not been consensual and has been dividing experts and the public opinion alike. From the architecture of the new bulding, a recuperated imperial palace, to the collections which come from two other nineteen century museums, Museum für Asiatische Kunst der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin and the Ethnologisches Museum. Nicholas Thomas, MAAC´s Museum of Archeology and Antropology of Cambridge curator says that the public debate in Germany on its history has been so much focused on the events of World War II, that its obscures the issue of its imperial past, in contrast with England, France and The Netherlands where efforts have already taken place to better understand the origins of the collections in their main national museums.
We have seen more and more museums worldwide adopting new curatorial approaches like the Seattle Art Museum which has opened anew with its renovated colection of asian art which promises a new and radical approach: “Visitors will no longer find art grouped by nation. Instead, they will encounter intersecting themes that are essential to many of Asia’s cultures — themes explored through objects in the museum’s renowned Asian art collection.”[4]
(…) “You will no longer find galleries labeled China, Japan, or India. Instead, vibrant artworks from Vietnam to Iran, and everywhere in between, come together to tell stories of human experiences across time and place. From themes of worship and celebration to clothing and identity, nature and power to birth and death, the new collection installation reveals the complexity and diversity of Asia — a place of distinct cultures, histories, and belief systems that help shape our world today.”[5]
Or yet the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco which has been adding to its original collections (the Avery Brundage founder collection) a large collection of contemporary asian art as a way of complementing its narrative: “Although Brundage’s stated goal was to create a “bridge of understanding” between the U.S. and Asia, a closer review of his actions reveal that he held racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic beliefs that directly contradict the museum’s mission and values.” Today the objective of the Asian Art Museum is: to become a “(…) vibrant hub for discovering the magnificent artistic achievements and intriguing history of the world’s most populous continent, the Asian Art Museum continues to bridge cultures, engage the imagination, and inspire new ways of thinking.”[6]
There are several institutions around the world that have been adopting and transforming their mission statements according to the new museum definition. In Portugal we can observe the care that museum curators have in building new narratives for their collections, but official and political discourse is still looking for its new found glory.
[1] (Consultations | Museum definition and Code of Ethics, 2022) ICOM
[2] Consider a coherent and just exibhition one that is able to comunicate effictevily be it the collectors intention or the purposes and functions of the artefact while being able to illustrate broadly the context and culture from where it was removed. Otherwise it will be just another silent object which may contribute to perpetuate the wrong message about why it is there in the first place.
[3] (Sandahl, The Challenge of Changing the Museum Definition, ICOM, 2017) “Over recent decades museums have radically transformed, adjusted and re- invented their principles, policies and practices, to the point where the ICOM museum definition no longer seems to reflect the challenges and manifold visions and responsibilities. (…) As a result, ICOM has invited its members, committees, partners and other interested stakeholders to participate in the development of potential alternatives for the museum definition (…)
[4] (Seattle Asian Art Museum — Boldly reimagined, 2021)
[5] (Seattle Asian Art Museum — Reimagined.Reinstalled, 2021)
[6] (Asian Art Museum San Francisco — Our History, 2021)
