In October 2026, the new film work “UN SERPENT AU MUSÉE” by the Cameroonian performance artist and choreographer Zora Snake was created as part of the research project “PERFORM – Performing Provenance”. The artistic exploration is rooted in the former mission museum “Forum der Völker” in Werl, whose ethnographic collection of around 15,000 objects was transferred to the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL) in 2025.
The holdings, assembled in the context of Franciscan missionary activity and through later acquisitions, raise manifold questions about colonial entanglements, the historical conditions of collecting, and unresolved provenances. In his performance, Zora Snake engages with the site physically and in direct dialogue with the museum’s spaces and objects. His artistic practice combines contemporary dance and performance with questions of cultural memory, resistance, and the continued impact of colonial power relations. The camera accompanies this encounter and captures how the artist approaches the site and its history through movement. In this way, the film opens up new perspectives on the museum and on how it handles its cultural heritage.
“UN SERPENT AU MUSÉE” will be presented for the first time on 10 November 2026 as part of the symposium “TRANCEcolonial. Performing Provenance – Art, Memory and Colonial Resonances” at the LWL Museum of Art and Culture in Münster.