While people assume ‘The Arts’ to be an inclusive concept, fostering creative collaboration and ingenuity amongst creators, often we forget some of the exploitative stories hidden behind the art in our galleries. As part of our theme this month, The Arts, we at The Maker would like to explore how this concept can be a discriminatory one, and what changes are being made to ensure the Arts are more inclusive for not just local, but global communities as well. 

In recent years repatriation, the return of cultural artefacts back to their country of origin, has been a hot button issue for many cultural institutions. Particularly large British galleries have struggled to confront their colonial past. These institutions have been met with public criticism, such as Dr Alice Proctor’s ‘Uncomfortable Tours’ conducted in London’s largest museums that provide the realities of the deliberately omitted narratives regarding the stealing, pillaging and decimation of native lands in providing these collections within the British Museum, V&A and National gallery.  

However, I feel the narrative of decolonisation is often omitted when it comes to artwork, instead favouring historical artefacts. By confronting where our galleries’ artworks came from– and why perhaps they should be removed from our view– we can ensure the inclusivity of Britain’s collected art pieces, forging amicable relationships with other cultures and breaking down colonial networks of the past, making art more equitable for everyone across the globe. 

Great numbers of artwork were stolen in the 19th-century colonial period. Anthropologists and Ethologists were sent were sent by British institutions bring back artworks. An essentialising example is the seizure of the Benin Bronzes from Nigeria displayed in the British Museum in London. Artwork was removed without permission from their native communities, disconnecting them for their cultures for British consumption, further serving the imperialist agenda. While it’s one thing to critique artistic institutions for their colonial histories, the most important thing is to ask how to enact change in galleries. 

One solution popularised in recent years is ‘The display it like you stole it approach.’ This calls for museums to be honest about where they got their artworks from, clearly labelling stolen objects. Galleries are sites of memory, and by recognising the imperialist nature of galleries, the memory is made uncomfortable, helping us engage with the multiple perspectives seen within a cultural space. That said, is simply accepting galleries colonial pasts enough? Many argue that the only way to truly resolve colonial discrepancies is perhaps to return items of artwork to their original owners and cultures. Sindika Dokolo, a Congolese art collector owns a foundation advocating for repatriation. Dokolo’s foundation, for example, secured five pieces of Chokwe artwork to be handed from the Angolan Embassy in Brussels to their original home, the Dundo Museum in Angola. Art represents and reflects the culture it was produced by, and by returning artwork to their original communities they are empowered by their own heritage, breaking down colonial hierarchies in galleries. 

To appreciate the concept of ‘The Arts’ we must also appreciate the dangerous histories that lie behind some creative institutions. To make galleries a more inclusive space we must consider the colonial structures that inform our cultural experiences. To empower artistic communities across the globe, we must make galleries an indiscriminatory place, ensuring colonial pasts are addressed and are intelligible to make them truly representative. 

Written by The Maker’s digital intern, Anna Craig