THE ETHIOPIAN CLOAK
Our current exhibition is about a journey a special object made some time ago: a stately cloak from Ethiopia.
How did the cloak get to Villa Freischütz? And should the cloak be returned to Africa?
We ask these important questions as part of the Euregio museum year with the motto ‘museum moves’. With this exhibition we join the debate about colonialism and colonial objects in museums. Rethinking this difficult part of Italy’s and South Tyrol’s history might open our eyes for injustices today. So the cloak takes us on a journey to ourselves.
Time slots to visit the exhibition during regular opening hours can be booked at herta.waldner@fondnavug.org or +39 339 4321283 from 6 September 2021.
A Green Pass is required to visit Villa Freischütz. The distance requirement of 1.5 m and the wearing of a mouth-nose covering in the indoor area apply.
We are deliberately opening up the exhibition for discussion, especially towards Ethiopia. In the following, we therefore present the exhibition texts, not only in German and Italian but also in English and Amharic, and give a filmic insight into the exhibition. Feedback can be sent to the curatorial team Ariane Karbe and Hannes Obermair via the comment function and at info@villafreischuetz.org.
We don’t yet know what the feedback will lead to: perhaps we will show the exhibition again next spring – in a completely different way. Or we might dedicate an (English) episode of the podcast, that accompanies the exhibition to the reactions. Or… we are curious!
