Racism. The Invention of Human Races
Completed
Temporary Exhibition from 19th of May 2018 to 6th of January 2019
Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, Dresden
830 sqm
Deutsches Hygiene-Museum
The scenography for Racism. The Invention of Human Races at the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum in Dresden, reflects the exhibition’s multiple themes and underlines the meaning and context of the presented works and objects.
The visitor is taken through four chapters, starting with a dissection of the pseudo-scientific reasoning the social construct of “race” is built upon. In a dimmed room, a large wooden modular structure creates a strict spatial order, reminiscent of the invented modernist classification system. It showcases various media that continue to transmit those ideas to this day. At the same time, each room also gives space to critical voices on past and existing racial ideologies.
The austere and monumental atmosphere of the subsequent room alludes to the common aesthetics under National Socialism, during which the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum functioned as a propaganda machine. Set up as an art gallery, it exhibited works that were confiscated and defamed by the National Socialist Party as well as some of its propaganda material. The strong presence of the museum walls is emphasised by the surface treatment mimicking the effect of pure concrete.
In minimalist vitrines, the next room addresses colonialism’s dominating politics of racial injustice and structural exploitation, as well as its long-term consequences, including the recent refugee migrations.
To encourage discussion between visitors about structural racism today, the design of the last room refers to a West African arbre à palabres. The structure’s roof used cardboard tubes that represent a rectangular canopy of a tree under which people can gather and talk. Inspired by the art of Shigeru Ban, the tubes are a metaphor for society’s transient nature. They symbolise how fragile living together in a community can be, especially without a shared set of fundamental values and reciprocal understanding.
The scenography for Racism. The Invention of Human Races at the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum in Dresden, reflects the exhibition’s multiple themes and underlines the meaning and context of the presented works and objects.
The visitor is taken through four chapters, starting with a dissection of the pseudo-scientific reasoning the social construct of “race” is built upon. In a dimmed room, a large wooden modular structure creates a strict spatial order, reminiscent of the invented modernist classification system. It showcases various media that continue to transmit those ideas to this day. At the same time, each room also gives space to critical voices on past and existing racial ideologies.
The austere and monumental atmosphere of the subsequent room alludes to the common aesthetics under National Socialism, during which the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum functioned as a propaganda machine. Set up as an art gallery, it exhibited works that were confiscated and defamed by the National Socialist Party as well as some of its propaganda material. The strong presence of the museum walls is emphasised by the surface treatment mimicking the effect of pure concrete.
In minimalist vitrines, the next room addresses colonialism’s dominating politics of racial injustice and structural exploitation, as well as its long-term consequences, including the recent refugee migrations.
To encourage discussion between visitors about structural racism today, the design of the last room refers to a West African arbre à palabres. The structure’s roof used cardboard tubes that represent a rectangular canopy of a tree under which people can gather and talk. Inspired by the art of Shigeru Ban, the tubes are a metaphor for society’s transient nature. They symbolise how fragile living together in a community can be, especially without a shared set of fundamental values and reciprocal understanding.
