Françoise Vergès

A program of complete disorder

 © Peggy Buth, From Desire in Representation (Tervuren) 2006 - 2008
© Peggy Buth, From Desire in Representation (Tervuren) 2006 - 2008

In her book "Programme de désordre absolu. Décoloniser le musée" (La Fabrique, March 2023), Françoise Vergès argues that the decolonization of Western museums is an impossible task. According to her, achieving decolonization would require substantial upheavals that challenge the very foundations, functioning, structure, mission, and objectives of museums. In her book "De la violence coloniale dans l'espace public. Visite du triangle de la Porte Dorée à Paris" (Shed Publishing, 2022), she visits the Porte Dorée in Paris, where she encounters a "colonial triangle" composed of three monuments that encapsulate the colonial, cultural, economic, racial, and political history of France. This triangle includes the building of the National Museum of the History of Immigration, formerly known as the Colonial Museum, which was inaugurated during the Colonial Exhibition of 1931. The museum's extensive bas-relief depicts the extractivist economy built on slavery and forced labor in the colonies.

The talk will be followed by a conversation between Françoise Vergès and Ayoko Mensah, curator and consultant. 

Dates
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Hours
19:00
Language(s)
EN
Place
CIVA, Rue de l'Ermitage 55, 1050 Brussels
Tickets
Partner
With the support of Brussels 2030