#16
Counter Monument
Subverting the Historical Narrative: The Future of the Counter-Monument
By Ingrid Schreiber •
‘Honor history.’ Those were the words graffitied beside a toppled Madre Luz – or “Mother Light” – in Wyman Park Dell, Baltimore. Only a few days earlier, Pablo Machioli’s popular sculpture – which depicts a pregnant black woman, fist raised defiantly in the air – had been hoisted by protestors… Read More
#31
Selk’nam Genocide Public Commemoration in Punta Arenas
Chile
By Contested Histories Initiative •
The late nineteenth century saw the systematic killing of the Selk’nam indigenous group members at the hands of European settlers in Punta Arenas, Chile. Until 2007, the official state narrative surrounding the fate of the Selk’nam failed to recognise the genocidal dynamics underpinning the dramatic decline in their population. Instead,… Read More
#142
Statue of Peace in Seoul
South Korea
By Jade •
The Statue of Peace in Seoul, South Korea, is among the most iconic and contested statues dedicated to ‘comfort women’, a euphemism for women who were sexually exploited by the Japanese military during the Second World War. Since its unveiling in 2011, the statue has been a source of ongoing… Read More
#141
Ncome and Blood River Monuments on Ncombe River in Nquthu-Dundee
South Africa
By Contested Histories Initiative • July 2021
On the 16th of December 1838 the infamous Battle of Blood River on the banks of the Ncome River between Zulu warriors and Afrikaans Voortrekkers took place. Commemoration and mythologization of the battle became a key focal point of the ethno-nationalism of each group and remained heavily contested. In the… Read More