The handling of cultural heritage in museums has become the focus of public debate in recent years. At the centre is a critical examination of collection histories and object biographies, as well as institutional and museum practices. Numerous workshops and conferences deal with topics that are orientated towards the specifics of different types of museums. We believe that a transdisciplinary approach, i.e. between museums that differ in their museum history and discursive embedding, but which face the same questions, offers a distinct opportunity in fertilising each other in their approaches and experiences.

This is where the conference comes in. For the first time, a conference is being held in Zurich, jointly organised by the Kunsthaus Zürich with its focus on modern and contemporary art, the Swiss National Museum which specialises in cultural history and the Museum Rietberg with its collections of arts from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. The three museums have been exploring the topic in their exhibitions and collection research for several year.

The detailed program of the conference will follow in due time.

A collaboration between the Kunsthaus Zurich, the Museum Rietberg and the Swiss National Museum. With the support of the Zürcherische Seidenindustrie Gesellschaft (ZSIG).