Publication Date
Spring 2025
Abstract
This paper explores how the Rijksmuseum is practising decoloniality and to what extent it is sincere. Through evaluating exhibitions, curatorial choices, and community engagement, I examine how the museum navigates questions of colonialism, responsibility, and representation. Ultimately, while there have been clear efforts to engage with decolonial practices, such as rethinking the labelling of artworks and creating space for previously ignored narratives, these changes also highlight the challenges of making meaningful steps forward within the dominant structures and frameworks that reinforce the colonial narrative. This research highlights the complexities and nuances of practising decolonial work in a museum space, and considers what it means to imagine new ways forward within institutions built from colonialism.
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Abrey, Paige, "Reimagining the Rijksmuseum: A Decolonial Future" (2025). Netherlands: International Perspectives on Sexuality and Gender. 1.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/nlr/1