New releases from The Jayhawks, Primal Scream, and Max Subar
The ancestors know
ROGER McKENZIE recommends an exhibition that explores the colonial plunder hidden in the collection, and the questions it raises
Unrecorded Taino artist, Boinayel the Rain Giver figure, c. 1256-1300
[© The Trustees of the British Museum]
MIGUEL YOSHIDA explains the evolution and influence of the Cuban Casa De Las Americas in joining culture to the revolutionary struggle
Flitting between myth and the modern world, Medusa is determined to steer clear of human affairs. When her resolve crumbles, the result is petrifying in every sense
MICHAL BONCZA, FIONA O’CONNOR, JAMES WALSH and ANGUS REID review Atlas of Disappearance, Love Me Tender, Bouchra, and This Tempting Madness
ANDY HEDGECOCK is charmed by a skilful adaptation of Tove Jansson’s lyrical portrait of three generations of a family, overcoming grief
SUE TURNER recommends a rich and varied selection of the letters, diaries and memoirs of British volunteers
Hew Locke – What Have We Here?
British Museum, London
I FEEL like I’m walking into one of those stolen goods storage areas in a police station when I walk into a museum. To me, museums are basically lock-ups.
No matter how much fancy language is used to try to finesse it, the basic truth is many of the “exhibits” in museums are there because some colonialist has decided to remove them from their rightful dwelling place, either to make money or to claim that the only “safe” place for them is in a museum.
Nevertheless, I love the British Museum — as a history buff I can’t help it! It is just full of all the things I want to find out more about. Much of it is the heritage that has been hidden or stolen from me.
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CHRISTIAN KNOBLAUCH is thrilled by the response of children to the presence of artefacts from the British Museum in their classrooms
BOB NEWLAND appreciates an important contribution to the debate about how slavery helped to build the wealth of Western companies and states
ROGER McKENZIE draws attention to the much-neglected oral traditions of the global South that define the identity – and therefore the liberation – of its custodians
ELLIS RAE recommends a stunning history of the active role played by the British monarchy in establishing and profiting from slavery