Broken Hill : A Call from Africa

Authors

  • Thanavi Chotpradit นักศึกษาระดับปริญญาเอก Department of History of Art and Screen Media, Birkbeck, University of London

Keywords:

Africa, Skull, Museum, Postcolonialism, Contemporary art

Abstract

Art repatriation or the return of art and cultural objects to their countries of origin is one of the essential elements of postcolonial cultural politics. From 1974 onwards, the Republic of Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia) has requested for the return of the Broken Hill Skull, the first early human fossil found in Africa, from the Natural History Museum in London. The skull was taken to England in 1921 by British coloniser’s. The story of the Broken Hill Skull inspired Thai artist, Pratchaya Phinthong, to create an exhibition entitled “The Broken Hill” at Chisenhale Gallery in London. The paper analyses the exhibition and the short documentary film, “The Broken Hill Man”. It investigates the power of museum and its narrative in constituting cultural artefacts and artworks, the issue of original and replica, Eurocentrism in museum and archeological practices, as well as art repatriation.

References

ปรัชญา พิณทอง, 2556. ศิลปินด้านทัศนศิลป์. สัมภาษณ์, 27 พฤษภาคม.

Abungu G.O., 2004. “The Declaration: A contested issue.” ICOM News 1: 5.

Clark J.D., 1959. The Prehistory of Southern Africa. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.

Duncan C., 1995. Civilizing Rituals: Inside Public Art Museums. London and New York: Routledge.

Hammond P.B., 1964. Physical Anthropology and Archaeology. London: Coullier-Macimillan Ltd.

Harris W.E., 1921. The Illustrated London News. November 19: 680. Cited in Hrdlička A., 1930. The skeleton remains of early man. Smithsonian Misc. Collaboration 83. Washington: Smithsonian Institution.

Hrdlička A., 1930. The skeleton remains of early man. Smithsonian Misc.Collaboration 83. Washington: Smithsonian Institution.

ICOM News, 2004. “Declaration on the Importance and Value of Universal Museum.” ICOM News 1: 4.

Magritte R., 1929. La trahison des images (Ceci n’est pas une pipe). Retrieved May 31, 2013, from http://collections.lacma.org/node/239578

Musonda F.B., 2013. “Decolonising the Broken Hill Skull: Cultural Loss and a Pathway to Zambian Archeological Sovereignty.” African Archeological Review 30 (2) 195-220.

Pratchaya Phinthong, 2013. Broken Hill. (Photo by M. Blower). Retrieved May 30, 2013, from http://www.chisenhale.org.uk/archive/exhibitions/index.php?id=131

Downloads