Unfinished Past. Inside the Debate on Restitution at Wereldmuseum

Today, Wereldmuseum Amsterdam opens a new exhibition titled: “Unfinished past: return, keep, or…?” (Onvoltooid verleden: Teruggeven, houden, of…?). This is a thought-provoking exhibition that doesn’t simply display artefacts — it invites visitors into a conversation. Unfinished Past offers an in-depth exploration of the current debate surrounding collections gathered during the colonial period and the question of restitution.

In recent years, the museum has been actively changing the narrative around its collections. In 2023, the former Tropenmuseum (Museum of the Tropics) transitioned to its current identity as Wereldmuseum (World Museum), beginning a journey to adapt to modern values and reflect on what it means to house cultural objects from around the world.

With Unfinished Past, the museum starts the discussion over the colonial collections. It’s a complicated discussion, and the exhibition doesn’t offer solutions, as much as it poses questions and brings the talk to the larger public. One line from the opening ceremony stayed with me: “There is no celebration in this exhibition”, as professor Ciraj Rassol remarked during the panel discussions. Instead, it’s a space for reflection — a place to raise questions, exchange thoughts, and confront uncomfortable truths.
The exhibition does not offer answers. Rather, it raises complex questions: What is the future of these artefacts? Are all objects simply “objects”? What do they mean to the communities they come from – many of whom consider them sacred or culturally significant?

Press Preview

I was lucky to attend the press preview for the exhibition, and to learn much about it from Wayne Modest, Content Director of Wereldmuseum and Anne Marie Woerlee, Exhibition Curator. Hearing about the new direction of ethnographic museums was eye opening for me as well. It’s not every day that we are faced with new ways of looking at things, and I was fascinated by how Wayne’s talk brought so many of them to our attention!

Visiting Tropenmuseum for the first time, years ago when I moved to Amsterdam, was a huge delight for me. To see all those artefacts coming from countries I’ve never visited and from times long past was something beautiful. It was a first contact with distant cultures, with unfamiliar stories and rituals. However, many of these objects, from things used in everyday life to objects with high spiritual value, ended up here, for us to see them even today, through not so fortunate circumstances, to say the least. And if we can somehow repair those wrongs through actions we can take today, I am all for it. But the road is long and the debate very complex and multilayered.

Our discussion led also to a question that some visitors may be wondering: If museums return every object to its country of origin, what will ethnographic museums show? Will they cease to exist? The answer is clear: no, they won’t. As Wayne Modest explained, museums continue to collect new items and tell new stories — about the past, but also about the present.

The Unfinished Past exhibition is organised around a few themes, or “islands”, each addressing a different aspect: from objects looted during military expeditions and legal discussions about what constitutes spoils of war or stolen art, to questions about scientific and cultural value and the legacy of cultural erasure. The way these objects came into the museums possession was different: some were collected during expeditions, some were gifted, some were looted. Examining the provenience of these objects has multiple roles: helps us learn more about the past, through research and new discoveries, but also about the present, and leads us to question the legitimacy of keeping these objects in the museums.

Old and new

A couple of contemporary artists and collectives were invited to bring bring their contribution to the exhibition: Pansee Atta, Daniel Aguilar Ruvalcaba, Aram Lee, Zara Julius & Zoé Samudzi, Hande Sever & Gelare Khoshgozaran and Lifepatch gave their critical, creative and emotional vision of the future of this cultural heritage. 

This new exhibition is rooted in “Pressing Matter: Ownership, Value and the Question of Colonial Heritage in Museums”, a major research project that brings together scholars and artists to investigate pressing questions. According to the museum’s website, the project asks:

“How did these objects from different colonial contexts find their way into European museums? Were they purchased or stolen? What role did missionaries and scientists play? Who owns these objects? What is their value, and how should we engage with a heritage marked by a contested past?”

The Future

The semi-permanent exhibition “Our Colonial Inheritance” complements this conversation, exploring how colonialism shaped today’s world — and how people endured it. Together, these exhibitions show Wereldmuseum’s ongoing commitment to rethinking its role and responsibilities. They are part of a broader movement to influence change, not just within the Netherlands but across Europe. Wereldmuseum hopes to serve as an example for other institutions navigating similar histories.

As an ethnographic museum, Wereldmuseum has in its collection over 450,000 objects collected from all over the world, and many from the former Dutch colonies. Therefore a huge responsibility falls on its shoulders, with so many of these objects kept in the depot. However, steps were taken towards a new future, and things are moving into a new direction for the ethnographic museum. Through this new exhibition and through taking a different stand, Wereldmuseum hopes to influence other museums as well, in the Netherlands and all over Europe.

“Unfinished Past: Return, Keep, or…?” is on display from 9 May 2025 to 3 January 2027. Go see it — and the other exhibitions currently on view. You’ll spend a few hours immersed in the past and present of our world, and you’ll leave with a lot of food for thought.

The museum also offers programs and activities for children, making it a meaningful experience for visitors of all ages.

Get your tickets here: Tickets Wereldmuseum.

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