Museum Rietberg exhibition 'Fast ein Paradies' recontextualizes colonial photography with contemporary art

The exhibition 'Fast ein Paradies' at Museum Rietberg in Zurich juxtaposes 19th-century colonial photography with contemporary artistic interventions that reclaim and reinterpret these images. Photography, invented in the 19th century, served as a tool of power in colonial contexts for documentation, classification, and constructing images of the 'Other.' Many such photographs circulated in Europe with captions revealing more about the photographers' gaze than the subjects. Artists like Sasha Huber intervene in archival images by stapling metal clips over portraits, creating a protective second skin and resisting the original colonial gaze. Sammy Baloji connects historical photographs with present-day imagery to expose links between colonial exploitation and modern global production chains. Other artists, including Raphaël Barontini and Andrea Chung, shift perspectives by restoring agency to portrayed individuals or crafting speculative narratives from the material. The exhibition runs until an unspecified date, and Monopol magazine is offering a giveaway of five pairs of tickets. Entrants must email info@monopol-magazin.de with the subject 'Paradies' and their full name by Thursday, April 23, at 14:00. Winners will be notified via email, with tickets held at the museum's box office, and no legal recourse is permitted.