Roughly from the beginning of the common era and the late fourth century, the area that now makes up the Netherlands functioned as a frontier zone of the Roman Empire. Its border was the Rhine,...Show moreRoughly from the beginning of the common era and the late fourth century, the area that now makes up the Netherlands functioned as a frontier zone of the Roman Empire. Its border was the Rhine, with the South of the river the territories under Roman rule, while the area to the North was part of an area called Germania by the Romans. The current North-Western Netherlands, consisting of the provinces of Noord-Holland, Friesland and partly Groningen, was the living area of a Germanic people or tribe named the Frisii. For a long time, local peoples at the borders of the Roman Empire have been regarded as a matter of secondary importance in not only the archaeology of the Roman Period but also in the museum context. While various reasoning lay at the basis of this, a crucial factor is the early 19th century concept of romanisation, which disregarded autonomy, authority, and self-identification of those who have been ascribed to the Germanic peoples over ‘being Roman’. In this thesis, as a focused case in the context of the previously mentioned, an exploration is made of the representation of the Frisii. Two questions stand central in this: ▪ How are the Frisii represented in museums in the North-Western Netherlands? ▪ Why are the Frisii (not) represented? These main research questions are subsequently divided into a set of sub-questions, focussing on various aspects of the representations. The study was conducted by analysing three different museums: The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (RMO) in Leiden, Huis van Hilde museum (HvH) in Castricum, and Archeologisch Museum Baduhenna (AMB) in Heiloo. As the living area of the Frisii has been ascribed to both the western and northern Netherlands and the study focuses on the western area, the Fries Museum (FM) in Leeuwarden was chosen as a comparative case study location. These locations were subjected to a thorough investigation, consisting of exhibition and (online) content analyses. Literature research on the background contexts and interviews with professionals from some of the organisations were conducted additionally. The reasoning for the latter was to better understand the motives behind (not)representing the Frisii and the here for chosen methods. As the study indicated, the representation of the Frisii at these locations varied in presentation methods and communicated narratives, underlining different approaches to Roman history, including Roman-centred, presented perspectives versus more autonomous ones. Various motives to represent the Frisii were identified, including the formation of regional identity and the substantiation of national history frames. In this, various forms of archaeological representations, didactic and non-didactic, are used to bring forth the presented narratives. In addition to these (re)presentations, a disarray of terminology was identified and discussed. This study explores all the issues previously mentioned and hopes to create a starting point for critically analysing the representation of local or ‘Germanic’ peoples in the Dutch Museum context, working towards the (re)presentation of a more inclusive Roman history of the Netherlands to the museum public.Show less
This thesis explores the recent success of the severely under-analysed notion of transhistoricity in contemporary curatorial practice. Up until now, the phenomenon was characterized as either a...Show moreThis thesis explores the recent success of the severely under-analysed notion of transhistoricity in contemporary curatorial practice. Up until now, the phenomenon was characterized as either a clever marketing strategy or a substantial ideology-critical instrument. In this thesis, both perspectives are highlighted in order to clarify the notion of contemporary transhistorical curating and to extend and enrich the existing academic discourse on this notion. This thesis can be seen as a first attempt to distinguish the ways in which the concept is used and to make explicit what needs the concept meets.Show less
In 2016, the exhibition When Art Becomes Liberty: The Egyptian Surrealists (1938-1965) was held in Cairo. While focusing on the Cairo exhibition When Art Becomes Liberty as a curatorial project on...Show moreIn 2016, the exhibition When Art Becomes Liberty: The Egyptian Surrealists (1938-1965) was held in Cairo. While focusing on the Cairo exhibition When Art Becomes Liberty as a curatorial project on the memory of the Art and Liberty Group, the essay addresses the question of to what extent this exhibition problematizes the notions of nationalism in the cultural memory narrative of present-day Egypt.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
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This research looks at two parallel theoretical approaches. The first deals with contemporary exhibitions and the curatorial procedures that are introduced in the 1960s, while the other focuses...Show moreThis research looks at two parallel theoretical approaches. The first deals with contemporary exhibitions and the curatorial procedures that are introduced in the 1960s, while the other focuses more on Conceptual Art and its emergence during the same period. After 1960s, many artists introduced a more experimental and conceptual dimension in their work therefore, art started altering. More specifically, the integration of postwar sculpture into Conceptual Art and vice versa, brought about a transition in the curatorial procedures that were developed during the 1960s in the Netherlands and beyond. The main objective of this thesis is to examine the ways in which this progression occurred, by analyzing the innovative approach of Wim Beeren in the exhibition ‘Op Losse Schroeven’ and 40 years later Cherix’s prudent idea in the exhibition ‘In and Out of Amsterdam’. Through this critical investigation, an adequate and appropriate assessment of the emergent ‘new art’ is offered in combination with the alteration of art production. Through this research I intended to examine the roles of both international and Dutch artists along with international and Dutch galleries and museums, in the emergence of the abovementioned 'new art'.Show less
Since the turn of the century, there has been a notable increase in the popularity of depictions and exhibitions featuring Japanese prehistoric figurines, better known as dogū. These artefacts from...Show moreSince the turn of the century, there has been a notable increase in the popularity of depictions and exhibitions featuring Japanese prehistoric figurines, better known as dogū. These artefacts from the Jōmon Period (about 15.600 to 3200 years BP) with a supposed ritual purpose increasingly show up in and outside of archaeology. In this paper I look for a possible explanation for this recently heightened interest. This is done by asking two questions: 1. Where are dogū present, and 2. how can this be explained? Going from Japan’s identity and the nature of their connection with the past, in this paper I look for the ulterior motives and goals behind the presence of dogū where they are most often seen: museums, art, popular culture/media. The first part, an analysis of dogū in Japan, shows that Japan’s view of its Jōmon past has changed since World War II. Out of nationalism a link is created with a past in which Japan was supposedly still unique and pure. Dogū reflect this and have thus come to represent Jōmon heritage. Good characteristics and aspects are selectively emphasized. In this way a generalizing story is created, that unfortunately negatively impacts the diversity that existed in the past. On the other hand, the mysticism and mysterious nature of dogū are a source of inspiration for artists and popular media such as anime, manga and videogames. The second half investigates the presence of dogū in the West, which can be largely attributed to several researchers who publicize across country borders and have brought dogū to Western museums. A case study of the ‘Power of Dogū’ and ‘Unearthed’ exhibitions offers insight into the goals behind this kind of exhibition. The Jōmon period and its dogū are used to represent the cultural traditions of Japan. In the debate on world heritage too dogū are used to promote the Jōmon period, as evidenced by my case study of a debate on Jōmon heritage in Paris.Show less
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