From Artefacts to Art
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Demanding Recognition Curatorial Challenges in the Exhibition of Art from South Africa Nielsen, Vibe Publication date: 2019 Document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Citation for published version (APA): Nielsen, V. (2019). Demanding Recognition: Curatorial Challenges in the Exhibition of Art from South Africa. Institut for Antropologi, Københavns Universitet. Download date: 01. okt.. 2021 DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY VIBE NIELSEN university of copenhagen FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES faculty of social sciences UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN · DENMARK PHD THESIS 2019 · ISBN 978-87-7209-290-4 VIBE NIELSEN DEMANDING RECOGNITION Curatorial Challenges in the Exhibition of Art from South Africa DEMANDING RECOGNITION · Curatorial Challenges in the Exhibition of Art South Africa from · Curatorial RECOGNITION DEMANDING DEMANDING RECOGNITION Curatorial Challenges in the Exhibition of Art from South Africa PhD thesis 2019 | Vibe Nielsen DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY VIBE NIELSEN university of copenhagen FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES faculty of social sciences UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN · DENMARK PHD THESIS 2019 · ISBN 978-87-7209-290-4 VIBE NIELSEN DEMANDING RECOGNITION Curatorial Challenges in the Exhibition of Art from South Africa DEMANDING RECOGNITION · Curatorial Challenges in the Exhibition of Art South Africa from · Curatorial RECOGNITION DEMANDING DEMANDING RECOGNITION Curatorial Challenges in the Exhibition of Art from South Africa PhD thesis 2019 | Vibe Nielsen DEMANDING RECOGNITION CURATORIAL CHALLENGES IN THE EXHIBITION OF ART FROM SOUTH AFRICA PhD Thesis by Vibe Nielsen Department of Anthropology · Faculty of Social Sciences · University of Copenhagen Supervised by Professor Oscar Salemink and Dr Bjarke Oxlund DEMANDING RECOGNITION CURATORIAL CHALLENGES IN THE EXHIBITION OF ART FROM SOUTH AFRICA PhD Thesis by Vibe Nielsen Department of Anthropology · Faculty of Social Sciences · University of Copenhagen Supervised by Professor Oscar Salemink and Dr Bjarke Oxlund PhD thesis 2019 © Vibe Nielsen ISBN 978-87-7209-290-4 Printed by SL grafik, Frederiksberg C, Denmark (slgrafik.dk) DEMANDING RECOGNITION CURATORIAL CHALLENGES IN THE EXHIBITION OF ART FROM SOUTH AFRICA PhD Thesis by Vibe Nielsen Department of Anthropology · Faculty of Social Sciences · University of Copenhagen Supervised by Professor Oscar Salemink and Dr Bjarke Oxlund Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................. 3 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 6 THE EXCLUSIVE MUSEUM SPACE ............................................................................................................. 16 THE ARTIST AS SOLITARY GENIUS ............................................................................................................. 19 VALUING ART FROM AFRICA ................................................................................................................... 22 OUTLINE OF THE THESIS ......................................................................................................................... 28 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................ 31 INTERVIEWS ......................................................................................................................................... 37 PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION .................................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER I: FROM ARTEFACTS TO ART ........................................................................................ 46 COLLECTING AND CLASSIFYING AFRICA IN EARLY EUROPEAN MUSEUM PRACTICE ............................................. 49 ART FROM AFRICA AS AVANT GARDE ........................................................................................................ 56 POSTMODERN EXHIBITIONS OF AFRICAN ART ............................................................................................. 61 EXPANDING CLASSIFICATORY BOUNDARIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM PRACTICE ......................................... 69 CONCLUDING REMARKS ......................................................................................................................... 80 CHAPTER II: RECOGNITION THROUGH REPRESENTATION ............................................................ 84 THE DAY RHODES FELL ........................................................................................................................... 88 DEMANDING DECOLONISATION ............................................................................................................... 97 REPRESENTING THE ART OF A NATION .................................................................................................... 109 “THE PUBLIC HAS COME BACK” ............................................................................................................ 112 CONCLUDING REMARKS ....................................................................................................................... 127 CHAPTER III: SEARCHING FOR GLOBAL RECOGNITION ............................................................... 130 A CORPORATE ADVENTURE ................................................................................................................... 135 A MUSEUM FOR AFRICA? ..................................................................................................................... 138 THE INVISIBLE CURATORIAL VOICE ......................................................................................................... 149 AFRICAN ART AS GLOBAL ART ............................................................................................................... 153 CONCLUDING REMARKS ....................................................................................................................... 164 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 168 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................................... 173 LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................. 204 APPENDIX ONE: FIELDWORK CASES AND APPLIED FIELD METHODS.............................................................. 210 APPENDIX TWO: INTERVIEWS ................................................................................................................ 217 ENGLISH SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 220 DANISH SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. 221 2 Acknowledgements am ncerely grateful for pportunity Dani esearch Council h given me ugh i generou nancial support of the search rojec Global Europe: Constituting Europe from the outside in through artefacts (4180-00073 k Professo Osc Salemink CPH fo accepting e art o research am and fo he generou po d uidance he n Dr Bjarke und anish Institute Human ights) ave wn e y ervisors Tir helpful feedback and thoughtful suggestions have een nvaluable d wish expres my ncere gratitude bo o m o their enthusiastic ngagemen and nspiring otivation Ti immense nowledge f the eld as ed many hought-provoking scussion hich n ital he ompletion thi udy. 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