The museum of Køn in Aarhus and the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg as activist and inclusive institutions

Abstract

Museums have for centuries allowed a Western centric and sexist narrative, which has left many voices unheard and unrepresented. As a consequence, still today, many people do not feel interested in visiting museums, as they believe that they are not being represented. However, from the second half of the twentieth century both artists and museologists have started removing themselves from these ideals, in order to create exhibitions that could be more inclusive and representative of a larger part of the population. This has among others been reached through more participatory museological practices, that invite visitors to engage in activities inside and outside the museum’s space. Another practice adopted to reach broader inclusivity and representation is curatorial activism, which through the inclusion of less heard voices tries to escape the traditional art historical canon. KØN - Gender Museum Denmark and the Museum of World Culture can be considered examples of institutions able to include less heard voices through a development of curatorial activism, which adopts a participatory approach, able to involve the communities in which they are located. KØN is located in Aarhus, Denmark, and focuses its work on establishing dialogues on gender roles, gender identity and gender fluidity in a contemporary and historical perspective. The museum was born as a women’s museum, but has recently expanded its area of interest to the cultural history of gender at large, proving to be a dynamic institution adaptable to society’s interests. Through its narrative it is able to represent people with different sexual orientations and non-binary people while at the same time opening visitors eyes up to these topics. The second museum I am going to analyze is the Museum of World Culture, located in Gothenburg. The museum was able to transform its ethnographic collection into exhibitions dedicated to global issues, celebrating cultures worldwide equally and escaping Western-centrism. This museum therefore works on including cultural minorities inside the museum and increasing visitors’ knowledge on global contemporary issues. Some museologists are against the increasing social role museums have undertaken, as they prefer museums to show artifacts neutrally. They are not interested in museums reaching a broader public and they are attached to the ‘traditional’ functions of museums. However, I will argue that for museums to stay relevant in the twenty-first century it is necessary to attract a more various audience and provide critical exhibitions, that can illustrate contemporary issues. For this purpose curatorial activism is necessary, as it will invite less heard voices inside the museum and therewith make a larger part of the community feel represented.