Ivorian artist Mivekannin’s Atlas miniaturizes museum buildings into suspended metal cages, directly confronting colonial plunder.
Controversial artifacts like the Benin Bronzes in the British Museum are metaphorically framed as “human zoos,” exposing how European institutions exoticized non-Western cultures.
By inverting scale (viewers look down on the structures) and using cold, industrial materials, Mivekannin visualizes power dynamics, asking, “Who is gazing at whom?”
His work critiques history while warning of ongoing cultural dominance.Photos by Gerret Schultz.
All images courtesy of the artist and Galerie Barbara Thumm, shared with permission
