Objects found in the ethnographic museums were donated by colonial explorers and collectors, most of whom were more interested in the aesthetic qualities of material culture and objects than the actual life of the people themselves (see ‘I Owe You’ concept).
The images printed on the coconuts are faces of coolies from Java working on the plantations in Sumatra (archive Weltmuseum Vienna). The printed images are derived from colonial anthropometrical photography records. By featuring the individual faces of these coolies on the coconuts, I aim to restore their individuality. By not including these coolies’ eyes in the images, I strive to give them the respect and privacy they were not given during colonial rule.
Links to Project: