TEMPORARILY REMOVED -
Inside the British Museum

The black and white photos, (which have not been digitally or otherwise manipulated in any way) reflect not only the beauty of the objects housed in the museum, but posses a beauty in their own right. Wehner’s prints capture the grain of marble, ivory and the dull sheen of bronze, yet through the mediation of his lens he manages to impart vitality into the dead stone. We are no longer sure of our role as viewers, either as the viewer of the photographs, as the viewers of the objects or in fact as to whether we ourselves have been captured by the camera and have become just another part of the spectacle that unfolds in the galleries of the museum.
However Wehner’s work does is not simply a comment upon scopophilia. Contemporary Museology has highlighted and brought to the fore problematics surrounding the museum in Western culture. The British Museum is a prime example of this. Both the splendour as well as the controversies surrounding such institutions, raise questions around ownership, post-colonial Western cultural supremacy and consequent issues of representation, resulting in demands for removal of certain displays and/or their restitution. These topics are inevitably and often very consciously addressed in the presented series and form part of its concern and content.
Besides these issues, the display of this vast profusion of art objects from all over the world and many different ages of mankind’s history -through the museum’s declared aim to preserve and present ‘all humankind’- does indeed manifest an essence of human artistic endeavour. Cultures of all ages have depicted hence mirrored their respective ‘symbolic universes’ through artefacts. This juxtaposition of differing belief systems makes apparent the similarities in aim and cause of artistic activities all around the globe – and for Wehner, this is understood as mostly an ally of religion, it serves the purpose of attempting to provide meaning to, make sense of and ultimately celebrate human life and death. Indeed the presence of death in the museum can hardly be ignored as alongside, and in contrast to, idealised god-like human depictions there are exhibited a wealth of human remains, which often form the most popular exhibits.
In Wehner’ s own words: "I look at the British Museum in a similar way as I would look at an installation of modern conceptual art. I am fascinated by the efforts of collecting and preserving and the resulting ubiquitous juxtaposition of beauty and decay. The displays and the visitors are all part of this ready-made installation piece. I am not the first one to liken museums to something similar to a generic temple."

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