Delinking and Relinking - Multi-sensorial Collection Presentation

This publication takes you on a journey through the exhibition Delinking and Relinking with artworks from the Van Abbemuseum’s collection. In this publication, curators Diana Franssen and Steven ten Thije guide you through this multidisciplinary approach to a museum collection . They explain the structure of the exhibition and focus on the relationships between artists, works of art and social themes. The text by ‘experience expert’ Barbara Strating offers a critical and enlightening account of this process. In addition, there’s a contribution from The Office of Queer Affairs, a network of people who are interested in sexuality and gender issues. The third text is a personal reflection by researcher and journalist Reggie Baay the meaning of the colonial origins of the museum. We conclude with a reflection by director Charles Esche, who discusses what concepts such as ‘demodernisation’ and ‘decolonisation’ mean for the museum in the future.