Output of scientific projects come in many forms: papers, talks, posters, datasets etc. But one of the wonderful things about the Pressing Matter project is that one of the types of output is especially spectacular: an exhibition in Amsterdam’s Wereldmuseum. The exhibition “Unfinished Pasts” brings together the questions and results of our scientific research as well as the results of the provenance research into the various collections associated with the project. The amazing results of the Pressing Matter Artist in Residence project are also displayed, as are the discussions with the project’s so-called critial friends. Through these lenses, the exhibition looks at the question of restitution and repair: should museums return collections to their countries of origin? How did these colonial objects end up in their collections? And who do they actually belong to?
