How can we tell the stories of the people behind objects held in museum collections? As part of the FAIHS Events Series: Decolonising Art (History), this workshop explores the histories and contemporary significance of life casts produced in the context of anthropological research. Organised by students and aimed at a student audience, the workshop offers an opportunity to engage with these questions from an art historical perspective.

Life casts document racialised bodies while also raising questions about the people represented, their individual identities, and efforts to restore their dignity and reclaim their stories.

Prof. Noémie Étienne will present examples of contested objects in Austrian collections, including plaster casts from Dr. Gall's collection. Together, participants will examine the contexts in which these objects were produced and their subsequent histories within museum collections. The discussion will address the artistic and political significance of life casts created in colonial contexts and held in European and American collections, as well as current debates surrounding their restitution.

Date: 4 December 2026
Time: 12:30–13:30
Venue: Seminar Room 16, Kolingasse 14–16, Vienna

Registration: Please register by emailing faihs.orientalistik@univie.ac.at.

The Forum for Anti-Colonial Inquiry in the Humanities and Social Sciences (FAIHS) is an open forum for students and researchers interested in engaging with anti-colonial perspectives in research and teaching. Through academic exchange and public-facing events, FAIHS seeks to contribute to the university's Third Mission and foster a more socially engaged approach to academic work.

Find out more about FAIHS.

Suggested preparatory reading (optional):

Noémie Étienne, "Blurring Objects. Life Casts, Human Remains and Art History", in Felicity Bodenstein, Damiana Oţoiu and Eva-Maria Troelenberg (eds.), Contested Holdings. Museum Collections in Political, Epistemic and Artistic Processes of Return, Berghahn, 2022, pp. 81–95.