While in New Orleans in 2015, Victor Sonna purchased shackles once used to subdue an enslaved person. Engraved on them was the number 152. This marked the start of a personal journey of discovery through Ghana, Suriname, and elsewhere. It culminated with an exhibition at the Van Abbemuseum featuring 152 unique artworks, plus several films and 52 prints in which Sonna addresses the subject of slavery. Published in conjunction with the exhibition, this book adds greater depth to his complex inv...

What would happen if museums put relationships at the centre of their operations? This question inspires this publication, which offers a diverse, rigorous, and experimental analysis of what is commonly known as education, mediation or interpretation within museum institutions. It regards the visitor not as a passive receiver of predefined content, but as an active member of a constituent body, whom it facilitates, provokes, inspires and learns from. Moving beyond the practice of mediation as...

In 'The emancipated museum' the art historian and researcher Steven ten Thije engages in a personal inquiry into the importance of art museums in a society that is becoming ever more fragmented. In spite of the unprecedented success of museums in attracting masses of visitors, the future of the museum is uncertain. Museums may appear calm and self-assured to outsiders, but not even this noble showcase of art is immune to the cracks in society. The tensions between high and low, newcomer and n...