Exhibition 'Postcolonial?'
In addition to its permanent exhibitions, the House of European History also organizes temporary themed exhibitions each year.
In the spring of 2026, the exhibition 'Postcolonial?' will open, exploring the lasting consequences of European colonialism over the past 70 years. This is a subject that is often overlooked in traditional European historiography. The exhibition aims to provide a more comprehensive and multifaceted picture of Europe's colonial past and current postcolonial circumstances, including contemporary issues such as racial inequality.
For this exhibition, the Flemish Community, in collaboration with the MAS, is loaning a Mesoamerican Maya artwork from the Paul & Dora Janssen-Arts collection.
The exhibition 'Postcolonial?' can be visited from April 17, 2026, to March 29, 2027 at the House of European History, Rue Belliard 135, 1000 Brussels. Admission is free.
Head with artificially elongated skull
Maya culture, Northwestern lowlands, Mexico
600-800 CE (late classical period)
Stucco with traces of red and blue paint, H.32 cm, W. 20 cm
Paul & Dora Janssen-Arts Collection, Flemish Community
MAS.IB.2010.017.094
For the Mayan elite, an artificially elongated skull was an ideal of beauty and a sign of their high status. Its club shape refers to the Maize God. Skull elongation was achieved by molding the still-soft skulls of babies with boards and straps until a conical shape was achieved.