Decolonizing Photography at Zurich's Rietberg Museum
The Rietberg Museum in Zurich presents 'Almost a Paradise,' a group exhibition examining the colonial legacy of photography. Featuring around twenty contemporary artists from Africa, Asia, and the Americas, the show recontextualizes archival images where indigenous subjects were staged by white photographers. Through techniques like reframing, overprinting, and even burning, the artists critique the colonial gaze and its unfulfilled promises. The exhibition runs until September 6, 2026, at the Villa Wesendonck, a historic villa where Richard Wagner once composed.
Key facts
- Exhibition titled 'Almost a Paradise' at Rietberg Museum, Zurich
- Runs until September 6, 2026
- Features around twenty contemporary artists from Africa, Asia, and the Americas
- Examines colonial photography and its constructed narratives
- Artists use techniques such as reframing, overprinting, and burning archival images
- Venue is Villa Wesendonck, where Richard Wagner composed
- Title references the irony of an unfulfilled colonial promise
- Rietberg Museum specializes in non-European art
Entities
Institutions
- Musée Rietberg
- Rietberg Museum
- Museum Rietberg
Locations
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- Villa Wesendonck