since 2024 on going project
This ongoing project, which is being carried out in connection with the previous work “Behind Whiteness” 2023, investigates the enduring influence of Orientalism on Western museums‘ collections, and study of Western literature in pursuit of latent expressions of racial prejudices, how these paradigms have shaped the perception and display of non-Western cultures.
By exploring the relationship between looted artefacts and Orientalist ideology, the project points out how Western institutions, such as the Museum Island in Berlin, continue to display cultural artefacts that reinforce historical power dynamics. Based on Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism, the project investigates how racial biases and stereotypes are embedded in Western literature from the 17th to 20th centuries.
This work represents the lingering void left by the loss of cultural assets and questions the ethics of Western museum practices.
In 2024 It has been conducted research at excavation sites in Turkiye, documenting archaeological imagery and findings. Research on stolen cultural artefacts associated with European museums is currently ongoing.
4 images above : Acrylic Sheets 65x250m, spotlight, sand 200kg, open studio in Münster 2024
Installation view: 1 acrylic boxes(45x50x30cm), concrete powder/dust, sand, spotlight, 2025
Detail of installation : acrylic box (30x40x30cm), concrete powder/dust, spotlight 2024
Detail of installation : acrylic box (30x40x30cm), concrete powder/dust, spotlight 2024
Installation view: digital print, transparent paper A4, curtain (2.5 x 3 m), spotlight 2024, open studio in Istanbul 2024
digital Print, transparent paper A4, curtain, spotlight, open studio in Istanbul 2024
Installation view: Research reimagine and mapping, Research reimagine and mapping: collage(archival photography with text) 280x150cm, exhibition in Barahan, Istanbul, 2025
Detail of Installation in Barahan, Istanbul, 2025
Detail of installation in Barahan, Istanbul, 2025
Installation view: Research reimagine and mapping: collage(archival photography with text) 280x150cm, 2025
Youn Hee Park 