The Materiality of Nostalgia: An Exploration of Art Objects displayed in Belgian Migrant Homes

Abstract

This research aims to explore the interplay between the art objects displayed in Belgian migrant homes and the experience of nostalgia. Among the objects present in migrants’ homes, the category of art objects has not yet received adequate attention. To approach this category, I draw on the art theory of Gell (1998), which put forward the agentic power of art objects. Nostalgia as emotion has been focus throughout this research due to its important place in the emotional ecosystem of migrants. Based on the analysis of fourteen interviews with first generation migrants mainly conducted on their Belgian homes, I am able to suggest that art objects can materialise nostalgic emotions by connecting migrants to memories related to the part of their biography in their country of origin. These memories are linked to periods of time, places and cherished people. These memories are positive and result from a critical negotiation of parts of the biography that are perceived as valuable and free of trauma.