Show and re-tell

Join us at Delfina Foundation for an evening of artist presentations, exploring artistic practice and public collections.

Commencing the public programme of our autumn 2021 Collecting as Practice season, three Delfina residents will present and discuss a single object of interest discovered during their research in the collections of public institutions. Exploring institutional collection practices and histories, the consideration of these objects will expand into a wider discussion of the artists’ research and practices.

Focusing on a set of poorly-documented 19th century Taiwanese birds’ nests found in the collection of the Natural History Museum at Tring, UK, artist Chuan-Lun Wu’s (Taiwan/Germany) presentation will initiate the event, expanding out from a discussion of the nests into the wider entanglement between Taiwan’s colonial history, the study of oology and the Anthropocene.

A Javanese shadow puppet, one of many located in the collection of the British Museum, will be the starting point of artist and writer Khairani Barokka‘s (UK associate) presentation. Okka will discuss signs of resistance to colonial rule in the shadow puppet collection, as well as what the preponderance of damage to the artefacts says about museology. This research forms part of Okka’s wider project REGNA, examining Indonesian artefacts in the UK and (neo)colonialism.

The final presentation will be by artist Ulrik Lopez (Mexico/Puerto Rico), who will similarly offer a specific object of interest as starting point for a process of investigation and artistic methodology.

Following the presentations there will be a conversation between the artists, moderated by the programme’s associate curator Rose Lejeune.

This event, and specifically Chuan-Lun Wu’s presentation and participation, is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan (ROC), the supporter of his summer 2021 residency.