The Shadowy Collections: Museums’ Uncomfortable Legacies

As visitors wander through popular museums, they often get caught up in the grandeur on display. However, many of these institutions harbor dark stories that challenge assumptions and force a confrontation with uncomfortable legacies.

Some museums have responded to this by offering “dangerous tours” that reveal items typically hidden from public view. The Justice and Police Museum in Sydney’s Holding Hatred tour showcases artefacts related to Australian crimes, catering to the public’s fascination with true crime stories. This trend raises questions about our society’s values and priorities.

A vintage film camera used by Leonard Lawson, an artist with a history of rape and murder, is featured on the Holding Hatard tour. Curator Dr Tuan Nguyen sees this artefact as an opportunity to explore complex debates around art and ethics, asking whether it’s possible to separate an artist’s work from their problematic past.

This issue is not unique to Australia or one museum. Museums worldwide are grappling with the legacy of their collections, including the Smithsonian in the US, which has human remains collected by Ales Hrdlicka. This raises questions about whose stories are being told and how we represent the past.

The Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney is a notable example. In 2024, following surveys and focus group discussions with the Egyptian diaspora, the museum removed mummified body parts from display. This decision reflects a growing awareness that museums have often normalized the display of human remains without proper consideration for affected communities.

Dr Melanie Pitkin, senior curator of antiquities and archaeology at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, notes: “Museums have been making decisions on behalf of others for a very long time. But now we have a more proactive approach around making better-informed decisions.” This shift acknowledges museums’ role in shaping public perception and understanding.

The Chau Chak Wing Museum’s Dangerous Excursions tour, titled Afterlives, Interrupted, takes a nuanced approach to this complex issue by exploring the challenges of caring for human remains and the ethics of display. By engaging with these uncomfortable stories, museums can spark a more nuanced conversation about culture, ethics, and responsibility.

The shadowy collections within our museums serve as a reminder that the past is never far behind us, and its legacies continue to shape our present. By confronting these dark stories, we can begin to understand ourselves better and the world around us.