Museums and meaning

Museums can be significant agents in understanding and interpreting culture, society, and knowledge around the world. The trust we place in these institutions as guardians of knowledge and heritage, empower them to give meaning and context to the world around us. But the histories of collections and their movement into spaces such as the museum can also be contentious. This is particularly relevant in relation to collections from cultures that were formerly European colonies – collections currently held in Europe or in museums established by colonial authorities around the world. But can we consider colonialism as purely historic? How can we consider the ways in which contemporary power structures, politics and ideas shape the ways in which knowledge is now created and consumed?

The series will consider examples of different museums– specifically focussing on South Asian collections– and examine the role that curatorial decisions and interpretative strategies play in how these collections are understood. Eurocentric curatorial approaches have dominated museums spaces and interpretation and labels tend to perpetuate the power structures of the colonial past. Recently, public awareness around colonial collections has grown with demands for repatriation of objects and decolonisation of museums gaining momentum. It is crucial to situate these museums in their historical context, but it is just as important to understand their relevance in relation to contemporary notions of identity, multiculturalism, citizenship and belonging. With several museums now actively engaging with these narratives, how can we understand the relevance of these collections and museums today? What role do patrons, collectors and other gate-keepers of collections play in influencing how objects and artworks are understood?