December 18, 2020

Colonial theft and... kitsch

topic:	Humans
located:	Germany, Benin
editor:	Gurmeet Singh

The Humboldt Forum is open. Digitally, at least. It is one of Germany’s most ambitious artistic and construction projects since...*checks notes*… actually let’s not go there. For whatever reason, the nation has decided to rebuild an old palace which was so damaged in the Second World War, that a mere five years later, the East German authorities simply decided to topple the few remaining bricks and build a cultural centre in its place. The East German construction – the palace of the Republic – is now gone too, and in its place, the new-old Royal Palace which houses the Humboldt Forum, an “ethnographic” museum.

We are once again in a dodgy area. A dodgy area within a dodgy area. A zone of dodginess. As Kolja Reichert writes in Die Zeit: “The museum stands in stark contrast to the zeitgeist where images and monuments are being pulled down: (especially a world culture museum (especially a world culture museum with looted colonial art (especially a world culture museum with looted colonial art) in a castle from the colonial era (especially a world culture museum with looted art in a castle from the colonial era that still pretends to exclude the European collections from the comparative analysis, as if they were nothing exotic)))).”

So we’re talking about a Kulturkampf here: the opening of the museum is a way for people to simply shut their eyes and stick their fingers in the ears and say repeatedly, “I don’t care about colonialism or Black Lives Matter, I just want to feel good about looking at nice African things.” I guess it also adds insult to injury that the reconstructed palace is itself a monument to kitsch.

The main criticism, however, is regarding the museum’s displaying of “Raubkunst”, ‘stolen art’, particularly the so-called “Benin Bronzes”. Not only does Tahir Della criticise the Humboldt Forum’s claims to be democratically inclusive, he also said: “The whole point is to return cultural loot from the colonial era. What happens after that has to be negotiated with the countries of origin, for example joint exhibitions or circulation. All things that are partly already under discussion can then be discussed. But the admission that German museums are not legal owners must finally be revealed.”

What’s more, critics of the museum have been met with rather puzzling counter-arguments. One critic of the architecture was told that he should be “removed”, like a stain, by one of the museum’s architects. “[Mr Maak’s criticism] didn't go down well with the architect Albrecht. In a letter addressed to the editors of the FAZ, he expressed his displeasure. Albrecht, you have to know, is not only a FAZ reader, but has also been involved in the planning for the reconstruction of the palace with his architectural office Hilmer & Sattler and Albrecht since 2009. In his letter, which the SZ has received, there is talk of a "malicious article" that makes the Berlin Palace "ridiculous". The architecture journalist and author, who has been highly renowned for many years, is indirectly referred to as stupid. Then Albrecht recommends to Maak's superiors: "You have to remove Mr Maak from your sheet, he will drag your level down to infinity."

So even on the level of architectural criticism, the building is attracting the wrong kind of press.

It’s a fiasco, and so many of the city’s recent architectural projects have been. It can be saved, however. Turn the museum into a museum of the history of German colonialism. Create exhibits in conjunction with African, Asian, Jewish and Roma communities to show how Germany has participated in colonial theft and genocide, and what it has done to repair those damages in more recent history. Let’s stop this kitschy leaping back to a previous historical moment as though the last century didn’t happen. Let’s be brave enough to face the past, so we can live with greater humility in the present.

Image Humboldt Forum Berlin/Germany by Ernstol, CC