The exhibition explores the complexity of these questions through thematic sessions, each addressing a different dimension – from objects looted during military expeditions and legal discussions about what constitutes spoils of war or stolen art, to questions about scientific and cultural value and the legacy of cultural erasure.
Unfinished Pasts is an experimental, question-driven exhibition that invites visitors to think along with the museum about the ongoing pursuit of justice, reparation, and reconciliation.
A key source of inspiration are the six contemporary international artists and collectives – Pansee Atta, Daniel Aguilar Ruvalcaba, Aram Lee, Zara Julius & Zoé Samudzi, Hande Sever & Gelare Khoshgozaran, Lifepatch. Their contributions give these complex questions a human face and bring them to life.
The exhibition is rooted in Pressing Matter: Ownership, Value and the Question of Colonial Heritage in Museums, a major research project that brings together scholars and artists to investigate critical questions.
[ in Dutch ] In the radio program Met het Oog op Morgen, professor of political history at the VU Susan Legêne researches colonial objects to uncover their history of origin and whether restitution is possible.
