Restitution: A Dialogue on Ethics and Artistic Practice Prof. Dr. Bénédicte Savoy and artist Akram Zaatari in conversation

Restitution: A Dialogue on Ethics and Artistic Practice explores the shifting responsibilities of the cultural sphere. Moving beyond legalities, this conversation examines how archaeology, museums, and the arts can redefine what it means to return, repair, and remember. What does restitution look like or imply today? Why is an ethical stance vital? And what emerges when artistic practice transforms complex histories into aesthetic, discursive forms? 

Bénédicte Savoy is a leading art historian. As Professor of Modern Art History at the Technical University of Berlin, her research examines the transnational movement of art, museum history, and the ethics of acquisition. She co-authored the seminal “Sarr-Savoy Report” (2018), providing a transformative framework for the return of African cultural assets. Her work critically explores how artistic practices and institutional archives navigate colonial histories to foster restitution and repair. Savoy is a recipient of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize. 

Akram Zaatari is a Lebanese artist and filmmaker whose work engages with history and the excavation of narratives. As a co-founder of the Arab Image Foundation, he has dedicated his career to studying Middle Eastern photographic practices, narrating the histories of forgotten people and vernacular traditions. His work applies archaeological practices to the modern age, often expressing radical positions concerning preservation. By transforming archival materials into aesthetic forms, Zaatari explores how artistic practice can mend broken historical connections. He represented Lebanon at the 55th Venice Biennale. 

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