A colonial, racist and sexist exhibition (finally) closes its doors in London

This is an important measure that we hope will inspire other museums. After fifteen years, the museum of London Welcome collection decided to close his exposure The medicine manconsidering it as “problem”.

Objects of obscure provenance and a racist vision of the world

Prior to this decision, museum visitors were put in contact with a “version of medical history based on racist, sexist, artful language and theories. »

The exhibit featured the loot of Henry Wellcome, a 19th-century pharmaceutical industrialist who founded the museum. He would have acquired more of a million items Around the world. The least we can say is this the status of these artifacts raises questionshow the museum raised it on Twitter in a press release showing notably figurines from sub-Saharan Africa:

” Was problem For several reasons. who it belonged to these objects? How they were acquired ? What got into us given the right to tell their stories? »

Strive for decolonized narratives

On the site of Welcome collectionan exhibition is claimed emphasizing the health of the oppressed people from this history and these colonial stories will soon emerge:

” We can not don’t change our past. But we can work for a future or United States let’s talk stories and lived experiences of those who have been silenced, erased and ignored. (…)

The result was a collection that told a global history of health and medicine in which people with disabilities, people of color, indigenous peoples, and people of color were exotic, marginalized and exploited – or even completely forgotten. »

Director of the museum since 2019, Mélanie Keen is a black woman who has worked particularly African American artists showcased. Thus he continues his policy of visibility on the provenance of the exhibited works and of decentralization of the colonialist gaze. What makes you want to visit London.

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