Sasha Huber - Demounting Louis Agassiz

Te Tuhi

Sasha Huber is a visual artist of Swiss-Haitian heritage. Her work is primarily concerned with the politics of memory and belonging, particularly in relation to colonial residue left in the environment. In 2007, Huber joined the transatlantic committee Demounting Louis Agassiz, initiated by the Swiss historian and political activist Hans Fässler. This long-term project has been concerned with unearthing and redressing the little-known history and cultural legacies of the Swiss-born naturalist and glaciologist Louis Agassiz (1807-1873), an influential proponent of scientific racism who advocated for segregation and “racial hygiene.” Part of the Demounting Louis Agassiz project was included in the 2016 Te Tuhi exhibition Share/Cheat/Unite. An exhibition in three parts, the show delves into the human psyche to consider how altruism, cheating and group formation appear to play a key role in shaping society, but not necessarily in the way we might assume. http://tetuhi.org.nz/whats-on/exhibitiondetails.php?id=171 This talk was presented in partnership with Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland.