To promote Taiwan-Germany cultural exchange and deepen museum collaboration, the National Taiwan Museum (NTM), the Humboldt Forum’s Ethnological Museum of Berlin, and the Research Center for Historical Sources of Taiwan in Europe at National Chengchi University (NCCU) have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for joint curatorial cooperation. The agreement marks the beginning of a trilateral partnership in the repatriation of cultural artifacts and the enhancement of broader transnational cooperation.
The LoI was signed by Prof. Dr. Lars-Christian Koch, Director of the Ethnological Museum of Berlin; Chen Teng-chin (陳登欽), Director of NTM; and Yao Shao-chi (姚紹基), Director of NCCU’s research center. A joint exhibition is tentatively planned for June 2027 in Taiwan, featuring Indigenous Taiwanese artifacts from Berlin’s collections. This will be the first major exhibition in Taiwan of Indigenous artifacts housed in Western museums.
Founded in 1873, Berlin’s Ethnological Museum holds over 500,000 items from outside Europe, including around 450 Taiwanese Indigenous objects collected primarily between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often through fieldwork initiated by founding director Adolf Bastian.
Director Chen highlighted the importance of collaborating with Indigenous curators and continuing past efforts to bring cultural heritage back to local communities. The exhibition will include fieldwork, interviews with elders, and reinterpretations by Indigenous artists to rediscover the original names, uses, and meanings of the objects on display.
Prof. Koch emphasized the significance of this collaboration, noting challenges in preserving the Berlin collection and the value of Taiwanese expertise in improving artifact documentation. The project also aligns with Berlin’s ongoing efforts to digitize its collections and expand global access.