Pressing Matter

The Rijksakademie partners in Pressing Matter, a four-year research programme, coordinated by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, that connects fundamental theories of valuation and property to postcolonial debates on heritage.

The goal is to develop and test new theoretical models of value and ownership and new forms of return that extend current approaches to heritage restitution. Participating artists are invited to think about the ways in which art practice can reimagine different forms of return, repair, and reconciliation broadly conceived, working with objects/collections in the project's partner museums – amongst others the Rijksmuseum and the Dutch National Museum of World Cultures – collected during the colonial period.

Other partners include, amongst others, Foundation Academic Heritage, the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, The Black Archives, HAPIN Papua Support Foundation, Framer Framed and the Peace Palace Library.