(Arts Research Africa, 2022-09-16) Langerman, Fritha
This paper provides a critical analysis of natural history museums
and their display practices. It explores the contradictions
inherent in the concept of “natural history” and the dominance
over nature it implies. The paper argues that museums still
promote authoritative classification and knowledge systems that
reinforce hierarchical structures and colonial ideologies. The
author, an artist-curator and printmaker, shares her experiences
with three exhibitions that challenge traditional display
methods. By disrupting linear progression, introducing complex
interconnections, and emphasizing sensory experiences, the
exhibitions aim to create alternative models of display that
reflect the entangled and web-like nature of speciation. The
goal is to move beyond colonial narratives and imagine new
ways of representing and understanding the natural world
within museum spaces.