Encounters

Exhibition starting November 1, 2024

The MEG presents « Encounters », an exhibition where people from diverse communities share their personal stories centered around objects from the MEG collections. By questioning museum authority and traditional photographic practices, the exhibition gives voice to those reconnecting with their cultural heritage in museums.

The « Encounters » exhibition was born from MEG's dual ambition to challenge the museum’s authority over collections and to engage in dialogue with the descendants of the objects in its collections. MEG invited twelve people from different communities to share their personal, significant, and often emotional stories that connect them to the MEG collections. Each participant chose an object from the museum's collection that originates from their own community. The bond that ties them to the object is depicted in a photographic portrait and expressed in an interview where each individual explains their choice.

Encounters also questions the role of imagery, whether through portraits or videos. For several years, MEG has been critically reflecting on its photographic and anthropological practices, which still present decontextualized collection objects against white backgrounds. This type of "identifying" imagery echoes 19th-century anthropological practices, where ethnic groups were photographed for classification purposes. The « Encounters » approach aims to subvert this technique by allowing participants to choose how they are photographed, with the goal of highlighting their personal connection to the objects through carefully chosen settings.

MEG invites its audience to discover these twelve encounters, revealing stories that have remained untold until now. These are powerful narratives tied to a place, an experience, a present or lost connection, a heritage that MEG, in turn, wishes to pass on.