To one of the most iconic art museums in the world,
I remember going to you with my mother one day when I was little.
I remember seeing the huge exhibits focused on ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, the Renaissance era, etc.
I remember reading the lengthy and detailed descriptions about each ceramic button, each broken water jug.
I don’t remember seeing artwork with people who looked like me.
I remembered seeing only a few old paintings with Asians, with vague descriptions.
I remember going again with a group of friends.
We all noted that the exhibits that weren’t Eurocentric, were presented as “featured exhibits” that were separate from the main portion of the museum. The more permanent exhibits were mainly by white people, of white people, and really, for white people. Ancient hairpins didn’t necessarily thrill me; what significance did it have for me, how could I relate to this? This perpetuates the fame and praise of predominantly white art, and obscures the scope of art from which we learn and appreciate. I learned all about Renaissance techniques and Impressionism, Expressionism, etc, but what about ancient calligraphy that Korean letters were beautifully written in? The few “diverse” artworks that I have seen were vastly outnumbered, and the descriptions were painfully inaccurate, as if the handcrafted, beaded dress was not as significant to my own culture in comparison to the multiple shards of Greek pottery. I understand the value of European artwork, and its prominence throughout history, but history didn’t only happen in one place. We see the progression of history through the looking glass of large statues of the Renaissance world to the stained glass windows of the Medieval times. The world closer to my own, is frozen in the time of the Goryeo and the Joseon.
Sincerely,
Emily Suh
References
The Metropolitan Museum Is Still Very Eurocentric and Conservative
https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/curatorial-departments/asian-art
