Decolonizing European Museums

As institutions deeply shaped by and contributing to coloniality, museums have an immeasurable influence on how knowledge, people, and nature are classified and documented in Europe. Arantxa Ciafrino brings together ten case studies, ranging from contemporary dance choreographies and performances presented in prestigious institutions across European capitals to everyday rituals by artists and conceptual art exhibitions that place the public in relation to one another. Grounded in Sociomuseology, Dance and Performance Studies, and Decolonial Studies, the research draws on interviews with choreographers, artists, and museum professionals to reflect on how performance and dance can offer decolonial approaches to museum collections and practices.

Arantxa Ciafrino (she/her) works as an independent curator with a focus on contemporary dance, performance, and decolonial approaches. She holds a Master's degree in Contemporary Art History and Visual Culture from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and the Museo Reina Sofía, and a Bachelor's degree in Museology from the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She earned her doctorate in Sociomuseology at Universidade Lusófona, Lisbon. Her research examines the decolonial potential of dance, performance and intentional gestures within museological contexts, reflecting on their ways of engaging with memory, knowledge, and power without disregarding the risks of institutional instrumentalization. Her research was developed in part during her time with the research center »Intervening Arts« at Freie Universität Berlin, as part of the sub-group »Interventional Choreographies: Formats and Practices of Decolonisation and Ecology«.