Shadows of the Past

While the doors of auction houses, antiques shops, galleries and museums were firmly shut during the recent lockdown, our cultural landscape experienced a seismic rocking. In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, demonstrations for social justice, the removal of statues linked to racial exploitation, colonialism and slavery dominated the news. To some, the gestures seemed distressing, but many agreed these actions brought difficult questions surrounding the darker side of our cultural heritage to the fore. Now that the art world has reopened its doors, how will this complex debate alter the way we think about objects linked to our colonial past?

For Ronnie Archer Morgan, specialist in tribal art and the great-grandson of a freed slave