Entangled in Imposed Narratives: Gloria Oyarzabal on Decolonising Museums and Efforts to Depart from Discriminatory Ways of Showcasing African Art.

Transformation and liberation serve as the guiding themes for this year’s edition of the International Festival of Photography in Łódź. It marks the twenty-third time when audiences have the opportunity to explore the landscape of Polish and international contemporary photography.

Departure from imposed patterns and structures is a significant concern for many artists whose projects will be showcased at the Łódź festival. Among them is Gloria Oyarzabal, a Spanish artist and winner of Grand Prix Fotofestiwal 2020. She will present her project titled “Usus, fructus, abusus”, which delves into the oppressive role of museums in culture and aims to depart from discriminatory methods of presenting and interpreting art.

At Fotofestiwal, artists leverage photography to stimulate reflection and spark debate on complex, or so far neglected, topics. By posing questions through visual forms of expression, they lead one to delve deeper into a given issue. Ethnography proves frequently helpful in their pursuit of deeper insights into their topics of interest. It is increasingly common for photographers to integrate anthropological thought into their work, thereby enriching their research and creative process.

Image of Africa

This is also the case with Gloria Oyarzabal. In her latest project “Usus, fructus, abusus”, the Spanish artist, whose work spans photography, film and didactics, delves into the theme of decolonising museums. During her three-year stay in Mali (2009-2012), she became deeply interested in the history of colonisation and decolonisation of the continent, the image of feminism in the region, and how the image of Africa was constructed.

Partly influenced by the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, she began working on the project in 2019. The theme of museum decolonisation she explores is regulated by UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, established in 1970. Countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Belgium initially resisted UNESCO’s decisions due to concerns about potential depletion of their collections. Consequently, they ratified the convention relatively late, with France in 1997, the UK in 2002, Germany in 2007, and Belgium in 2009. In comparison, in Poland, the document came into force in 1974.

A significant portion of historical artifacts from Sub-Saharan Africa is housed in European museums. Most of them were forcibly transported out of the continent during the colonial period.  European civilization exerted dominance over the African world, shaping a singular narrative that persists and is often unwillingly perpetuated.

Recollection of Colonialism

An example of pillage of African cultural heritage that has generated wide discussion in recent years is the case of the Benin Bronzes from Nigeria. These metal sculptures and plaques from the African Kingdom of Benin were brutally plundered during the English army’s expedition in 1897, known as the Benin massacre. They were dispersed across the globe, with the majority now housed in state museums in Europe, particularly at the British Museum in London.

The case of the Benin Bronzes is to many Nigerians a poignant reminder of colonialism and its enduring impact on African society. Gloria Oyarzabal addressed this theme in her 2022 installation titled RRR (RAPID RESPONSE RESTITUTION). In this iconic work, the image of queen Idia, a symbol of female power, from the collection of Benin Bronzes, was depicted by the artist as a white porcelain figure. It’s important to note that artistic representations of queen Idia were looted from the city of Benin during the British expedition. These original works, made of brass, are part of a group of four brass heads created in the early 16th century for Idia’s son, Oba Esigie.

The artist juxtaposed the recreated porcelain image with a wallpaper that served as a background for the queen’s figure. The wallpaper, designed in the Toile de Jouy style typically characterised by idyllic genre scenes, was filled with disturbing plunder scenes and stereotypical depictions of the African continent.

How to Mend Cracks in History: Addressing the European Colonialist Past

Using visual materials, Gloria Oyarzabal raises questions about whether looted artwork should be returned to their places of origin and whether colonial empires should return these illegally trafficked pieces. The artist aims to address not only the issue of looted works but also the need to depart from discriminatory depiction and interpretation methods. This change would be reflected in how artworks are exhibited, challenging traditional narratives. Museums unintentionally perpetuate what colonial violence initiated. Seemingly neutral practices by museum managers continue to determine how minority groups, including people of African origin, are represented and perceived.

Museums Were Never Neutral

The Spanish artist’s voice is a critique of museum institutions. Museums were, and often still are, beneficiaries of European expansion, responsible for perpetuating stereotypical imagery, including the presentation of black women in European painting. The concept of museums was born over 300 years ago when the collections of individual monarchs were opened to the public, becoming institutions that shape a nation’s identity and definition. Museums were never neutral. Today, they must confront the need for decolonisation. It is high time to review our actions and move away from stereotypical ways of thinking.

The title of Oyarzabal’s project, “Usus, fructus, abusus,” is taken from Roman law terminology and refers to one of the fundamental rights vested in individuals: ownership.

The project features installations composed of numerous photographs placed on a modular structure. These photographs depict how African art is showcased in museums, the portrayal of black women in European painting, old photographs from trips to Africa, animals, contemporary dance scenes frozen in her snapshots, and, finally, empty museum cabinets. The images that the artist selected were printed on delicate fabric, with different images on each side, allowing each window of the modular structure to be identified as a diptych. The falling light lets the new image emerge, casting a shadow, reflecting like an echo in the next image. As viewers stroll among these photographs, they are invited to reflect on the interplay of images. The compositions challenge stereotypical thinking, and encourage exploration of how African art is presented and interpreted.

Black Woman’s Body

In her work, the artist also explores the theme of the depiction of black women in European painting, because it is another medium of stereotypes. She begins her deliberations with “La Blanche et la Noire” (1913) by Felix Vallotton, which diverges in its portrayal of black women from their images in famous European paintings such as “Olympia” by Edouard Manet (1863) and “Odalisque with Slave” (1858) by Ingres.

The black woman’s body has long been a site of transgression and subservience toward outsiders, especially Europeans. Records of oppression are deeply entrenched in the history of slavery and colonial conquest, shaping collective imagination. In the European context, black women have been subjugated to numerous stereotypes, identifying them as sexual deviants, primitive beings, and hyper sexual individuals, all from the perspective of the “white” gaze.

Vallotton’s aforementioned painting depicts a nude white woman reclining on a bed, while a black woman, fully clothed, sits beside her, smoking a cigarette and boldly gazing at the other figure. Vallotton removes all exotic references, confronting the passive naked white woman and the assertive black woman, who assumes an almost masculine pose while smoking.

Gloria Oyarzabal interprets Vallaton’s painting creatively to vocalise the enduring stereotypes, exoticisation, and cultural appropriation. Through her work, she recreates and conceives her own composition of the painting in the form of photographs. Additionally, she expresses her aspiration for a feminism without boundaries, one that fully engages with the reality of trans-national world.

The themes found in the Spanish artist’s works aim to raise our awareness of the lingering echo of colonialism in shaping the reception of African art, but they go beyond that. Anyone who has the chance to attend the Fotofestiwal, should pay special attention to the “Usus, fructus, abusus” project, which offers a valuable opportunity to reflect on how we perceive and interpret Africa. Is it possible for us, as Europeans, to depart from stereotypical way of thinking? Are narratives other than existing ones written by Europeans appropriate?

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International Festival of Photography in Łódź

Fotofestiwal 2024

13 – 23 June 2024

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