Sonia Luhong Wan

Sonia Luhong Wan is a Kayan-Bidayuh artist, curator, and translator from Sarawak, Malaysia. Her work in the arts leverages on a core belief in its transformative power to facilitate kinship, critical thought, and meaningful engagement. Sonia is an active member of Borneo Bengkel and HAUS KCH, creative platforms that foster cultural exchange, artistic collaboration, as well as cross-regional dialogue in Borneo and beyond.

Title : 'One Man's Culture is Another Man's Museum'

Medium : Mixed media installation

Size : Variable dimensions

Year : 2025

In May, I joined a group of Indigenous and Indigenous-aligned curators, creatives, and cultural workers for an engagement at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. This trip was part of the museum’s long-term effort to critically review its exhibition approach, which has been largely influenced by its colonial legacy.

We were also invited to select and view objects from the museum’s collection. Many had sparse or inaccurate records—details of origin, context, and community were absent or misrepresented.

This installation mirrors my experience. The photographs shown here, taken during the viewing, become objects themselves and must be handled with care. They offer glimpses but not clarity to the Bornean objects I saw; just enough to spark a curiosity, not enough to explain.

What does it mean for you, the viewer, to see objects from Borneo outside of Borneo—separated from people, place, and purpose? Who has the right to speak about these things, and how? If we were to build a future museum grounded in equity and care, what would it look like? Who would be there—and what would they be doing?