Interview with Boris Wastiau

Qualified anthropologist Boris Wastiau certainly likes a challenge, as illustrated by the fact that he has just worked on renovating the Museum of Ethnography of Geneva, or MEG for short. And what a success this undertaking was! Trying to summarize a person of his calibre is pointless – after all, how can you pin down in words a man who has seemingly been everywhere? "I studied in quite a few places across Europe – in Brussels, Coimbra, at the University of East Anglia in Great Britain – and that then meant that I was lucky enough to discover different countries via my work, including Portugal, the UK, Zambia, Congo and Belgium." He has been in Geneva for the past 10 years, and has settled into the Arve valley area like a charm. " Working on the expansion project of the MEG was a unique opportunity and one where the conditions were ideal."

The result has been seven times as many visitors since the renovation work was done, with the cherry on the cake being the prestigious European Museum Award that the MEG scooped in May, which goes each year to an institution for the exceptional quality of its culture and its significant influence on a national and international level! "In Geneva, we have incredible development potential, a freedom of opinion that is largely respected, and a remarkable flexibility in the organization of institutions," says an enthusiastic Boris. I know a certain number of similar projects that began before ours and which are still far from being completed…"

A district within an eye for the future
When he came to Switzerland back in 2007, the now director of the MEG admitted to being sceptical about the appeal of his surroundings. "The Bains district was a little gloomy. It had the network of galleries with prestigious vernissages which attracted an incredible amount of visitors, but there were no regulars. It was almost as if people came sniffing around a district that they were still a little bit afraid of, since it really didn’t have that good a reputation. Now, all that has changed so much! The Hans-Wilsdorf pedestrian bridge, the work that the RTS has done, and in particular the Rue de l’Ecole-de-Médecine have all helped to completely transform the landscape and create a very lively district but without it becoming gentrified – the proof being that it has a real mix of students, business people and museum-lovers."

Bathing in the atmosphere at Le Café
Boris is a regular at Le Café des Bains, which is a genuine privilege for our establishment since he hates taking lunch, preferring to focus on dinner which he himself cooks at home almost every evening, to the delight of his three growing teenagers! "I tend to work on through every day, but if I have to break for lunch, I always choose Le Café des Bains! You get an incredibly warm welcome, and the service is always impeccable. I particularly like to bring guests – either artists or visitors to the MEG – because I know that they will enjoy it here. It’s simple yet efficient, never dull – on the contrary, they always demonstrate exceptional creativity! The menus are so diverse and the food so delicious that I feel totally relaxed. I always recognize lots of people when I come here. And when I want to take someone out, I never have to ask myself 'where shall I go with them? What’s such-and-such place like?' At Le Café des Bains, it’s always so good!"

What’s new at the MEG?
The new expo is an absolute must. It was only unveiled last Friday and is called "The Boomerang Effect: Aboriginal Arts in Australia". This is one of the MEG’s finest collections which demonstrates all the richness of Australia’s cultural heritage. As you go around the exhibition, you get to see how the attempts to suppress Aboriginal culture since the 18th century have actually had the opposite result. It features two world-renowned artists: Brook Andrew, who is artist in residence with both Scottish and Aboriginal heritage, and Michael Cook, a photographer and visual artist. Cook has one of his most emblematic pieces on display – a montage which symbolizes the arrival of James Cook in Australia in 1770 – as well as "Mother" – a series which evokes the "Stolen Generations" of indigenous children who were taken away from their families for almost a century to stop the transmission of their culture. It is an incredible exhibition which will have an effect on everyone who sees it.

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