Culture for Sale: Commodification of looted artifacts in the museal context
Communication Design Project by:
Thianon Klausmann, Alexander Wagner, Hanul Yim
Advisors Concept & Prototyping:
Prof. Henrik Rieß, Felix Müller, M.A., Robin Woern, M.A.
Advisors Graphic Design
Prof. Alexander Tibus, Barbora Demovič, M.A.
Research Question:
How can the Benin Bronzes raise awareness about the commodification of looted artifacts in the museal context?
Looted by British forces in 1897, the Benin Bronzes remain scattered across Western museums, displayed as acquisitions rather than returned to Nigeria. ‘Culture for Sale’ raises awareness of how institutions present, withhold, and profit from looted artifacts. The installation takes the form of a vending machine – a symbol of commercialization.
Users select from major holding nations – France, the UK, and Germany – encountering different outcomes. Germany's option dispenses a replica of a Benin Bronze reflecting its restitution efforts, while the UK and France display messages justifying continued possession, highlighting how museums function as sites of profit and control over stolen cultural heritage.
By transforming museum curation into a vending transaction, the project exposes institutional contradictions, inviting audiences to question how colonial loot continues to be treated as commodity rather than returnable heritage.
'Culture for Sale' was exhibited at Berlin Design Week 2025.
See all ‘Punk & Participation’ Projects
See all ‘Punk & Participation’ Projects
Contact:
Prof. Henrik Rieß
Interaction Design and Visual Communication
Berlin International
University of Applied Sciences
Salzufer 6, 10587 Berlin, Germany
Tel: +49 30 81 05 80 80
E-Mail: riess[🎈]berlin-international.de
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