Observing Memories Issue 7 - December 2023 | Page 49

1 . Part of the permanent exhibition “ Slovenians in the 20th century ”, which tells the story of the independence and democratisation of the country ; Jože Suhadolnik / DELO
Claiming that museums are apolitical is a lie . Museums are political entities and can never be neutral . Whatever we do , the relationships between institutions , the subjects we address and the collections we create reflect the subjective biases of the researchers and curators who are entrusted with a subject . In other words , no two curators would create identical exhibitions on the same themes and yet each interpretation can be valid and based on professional guidelines . According to the modern understanding of the mission of museums , the interpretation of individual museum collections is in constant interaction with the state of society and its needs . Today , museums are confronted with questions of restitution , answers to the traumatic legacies of colonialism and totalitarian systems , the discovery of atrocities against humanity and the question of responsibility for heritage in times of military conflict . All these issues reinforce the notion that museums do not exist and do not operate in a vacuum .
In recent years , museums have turned to working with their communities , giving voice to the vulnerable and the forgotten . New exhibition approaches are oriented towards more modern and democratic practices , creating spaces that foster diverse dialogue where we strive daily to overcome the stereotypical perception of museums as spaces for ( only ) political narratives . I am fascinated by the idea of getting to know the world through the testimonies of people , to search for ( hi ) stories around us . It is through individual overview
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