The handling of cultural heritage in museums has become the focus of public debate in recent years. At the centre is a critical examination of collection histories and object biographies, as well as institutional and museum practices. Numerous workshops and conferences deal with topics that are orientated towards the specifics of different types of museums. We believe that a transdisciplinary approach, i.e. between museums that differ in their museum history and discursive embedding, but which face the same questions, offers a distinct opportunity in fertilising each other in their approaches and experiences.
This is where the conference comes in. For the first time, a conference is being held in Zurich, jointly organised by the Kunsthaus Zürich with its focus on modern and contemporary art, the Swiss National Museum which specialises in cultural history and the Museum Rietberg with its collections of arts from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.
The three museums have been exploring the topic in their exhibitions and collection research for several years. The three-day international conference is primarily aimed at experts and practitioners. The focus is on the exchange of experiences from practice in dealing with objects, testimonies and stories that are considered “sensitive, problematic or contested”. The aim is a lively, open exchange on topics, methodological, strategic and programmatic considerations from a wide range of perspectives.
As Switzerland holds the fifth largest share of the global art market and it counts the highest density of museums in the world, the three museums consider these questions not only as necessary, but as a chance to critically examine, challenge, revise established museum practices. The conference will explore assumptions, methodologies and practices of dealing with sensitive, problematic or contested cultural heritage through key lectures, presentations of case studies, panel discussions, exhibition tours and break-out sessions. We welcome abstracts from (museum) professionals from Switzerland and worldwide. Their contributions should be based on case studies.
