{
  "id": 9557039,
  "title": "What Happens After Repatriation?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/what-happens-after-repatriation",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-24T13:17:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hyperallergic",
    "slug": "hyperallergic",
    "url": "https://hyperallergic.com/tide/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In November 2018, scholars Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy published a report that advocated for the return of African cultural artifacts taken during colonial times. The report, aimed at addressing historical wrongs and establishing a new relationship between Europe and Africa, reignited calls for restitution. Beyond high-profile cases like the Benin Bronzes, numerous lesser objects have been repatriated. In 2023, the Manchester Museum returned 174 items to the Anindilyakwa people of Groote Eylandt, Australia. These objects, known as Dadikwakwa-kwa, are small dolls crafted from shells, fibers, textiles, beads, and other materials, used to teach children about kinship, clan relations, fertility, and their connection to the land. The Repatriates Collective, a group of artists and researchers spanning Australia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, conceived the project Tide of Returns to explore the movement of cultural objects between these regions. The exhibition, currently on view at TBA21's Ocean Space in Venice, comprises film, archival material, sculpture, and sound. Upon entering the deconsecrated Church of San Lorenzo, visitors encounter a striking installation of sand from Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria filled with thousands of miniature Dadikwakwa-kwa dolls. Accompanying this installation is a film by the Repatriates Collective, showcasing Anindilyakwa women re-dressing the dolls and performing rituals intended to \"reanimate\" them for their journey to Venice. The dolls, symbolizing cultural continuity despite distance and colonial violence, embody the exhibition's central theme of return. Another installation by German-Bolivian artist Verena Melgarejo Weinandt, \"Weaving Connections,\" draws from her examination of German stereotypes of Indigenous peoples. The work uses textiles and video to explore these stereotypes and their implications for possession, representation, and memory. While some arguments presented in Tide of Returns are familiar, the exhibition ultimately presents restitution not as a final goal but as a starting point for deeper questions about ownership, representation, and remembrance. Tide of Returns is on display at Ocean Space (Chiesa di San Lorenzo, Venice, Italy) until October 11.",
  "summary": "“Tide of Returns” investigates the histories and futures of handmade dolls repatriated to an Indigenous Australian community.",
  "key_points": [
    "In 2018, scholars advocated for African cultural artifacts' return",
    "174 Dadikwakwa-kwa dolls repatriated to Anindilyakwa people in 2023",
    "Tide of Returns exhibition explores movement of cultural objects"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}