Note: Inspiration and background for our periodic cultural heritage reports frequently come from the website of The Art Newspaper, a subscription-based service, journal of record for the international art world.

We are bombarded with reports and evidence of the destruction of tangible and intangible cultural heritage by both natural and human actions. So it is good to note, where we can, some positive outcomes in the face of these challenges, including the following recent developments:

Recognition of Sámi artists

Long-overdue recognition is starting to come to indigenous artists in the Nordic region, known as “Sámi.” The term refers to Sámi-speaking peoples in a region called Sápmi, comprised of large areas of northern Norway, Finland, Sweden and the Kola Peninsula in Russia. (The English term for the region — Lapland — is considered derogatory by the Sámi.) It has been recently announced that a mural by a Sámi artist will be a key feature in a new government quarter in Oslo, and the Tate Modern in London will feature a commissioned work by Sámi artist Máret Ánne Sara in its Turbine Hall. In 2022 the Nordic Pavilion in the Venice Biennale was rebranded as the Sámi Pavilion. Nevertheless, there has been a history of injustices, which these steps only begin to address. Last year the Norwegian government released a “truth and reconciliation” report detailing the country’s treatment of indigenous groups, including the Sámi. For decades the Sámi community has been demanding a dedicated art museum, with no success thus far.

Paintings rescued from Odesa

Sixty European paintings rescued from the Museum of Western and Eastern Art in Odesa have been on display in the Gemaldegalerie in Berlin, united with works from that museum’s collection. When the war began in 2022, the works from Odesa were initially evacuated to an emergency storage facility in Ukraine, but it was feared that they would fall victim to mold and hence the further evacuation to Berlin. The show now travels to Heidelberg. Text and catalog are in Ukrainian, German and English, and admission to the exhibition is free to Ukrainians. German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, “I hope that Ukrainians who have found refuge here in Germany will find a piece of home in the paintings.”

AI use by Indigenous tribes in Brazil

Indigenous tribes in Brazil, often displaced from their sacred territories, are using technology and AI to document their cultural heritage, thus reclaiming the right to tell their own stories. In the past, the documentation has been done by outsiders, with the products rarely accessible by the subjects. The techniques range from cell phone images and simple recordings of sacred chants that connect the tribes to their ancestral lands to more complex tools of artificial intelligence. In 2024, UNESCO issued a call for broader participation in this process. Nevertheless, the larger picture remains the exclusion of Brazilian indigenous people from national debate about AI development.

Taliban support of restoration of physical sites

Against a backdrop of the drastic exclusion of women from public and cultural life, the Taliban have paradoxically been supporting the physical restoration of damaged monuments, including the Buddhas of Bamiyan, which it destroyed in 2001, and a historic synagogue. Working through nonprofit organizations, the Taliban have also been quick to respond to damage caused by natural disasters. Efforts are hampered by a lack of funds and the “brain drain” caused by wholesale emigration from Afghanistan.

Robots trained to detect forgeries

Robots may have a future in detecting forged artworks. A partnership between Montreal-based start-up Acrylic Robotics and the estate of Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau (1932-2007) is developing improved methods of using AI to train robots to create improved fakes of art works. The theory of the venture is that the training will eventually allow the robots to detect forgeries. Apparently prior forgeries created by robots were of terrible quality.

First digital nation

We have previously reported on the transition of the island country of Tuvalu to the metaverse to in order to preserve its history, geography and culture in the face of rising sea levels that have already made part of the island uninhabitable. That effort includes mapping of all the islands, digital passports and online elections and relocation of residents. Tuvalu entered into a treaty with Australia to accept 280 residents per year, with an eventual plan for citizenship. Some Tuvaluans have moved to New Zealand. However, this transition raises novel questions under international law as to sovereignty without territory.

Stay tuned as we follow these interesting developments!