The museography of pre-Columbian arts in the age of Artificial Intelligence

Art Engagement Consulting

Pre-Columbian Arts and the Challenges of Exhibition Design

The study of Pre-Columbian arts raises fundamental questions regarding the role of museums and the construction of exhibition narratives. My recent book, Le Code Précolombien, Messager des dieux (Éditions de Paris, May 2025), examines how museography and scenography can restore the ritual, cosmological, and religious dimensions of these artifacts. Often unfamiliar to the general public and frequently misinterpreted due to their so-called “exotic” aesthetics, these objects convey complex ideological, political, and geopolitical narratives. Cultural contextualization and respect for the original functions of these objects are essential to provide visitors with an experience that is both immersive and intellectually enriching.

Historical Decontextualization and Aesthetic Consecration

Pre-Columbian artifacts have long been removed from their ritual and spiritual contexts for display in Western museums. From the cabinets of curiosities to modern and contemporary museums, they underwent successive reinterpretations, forming symbolic and historiographical “metapfigurations.” Museography in the 1930s, through the white cube paradigm, theorized a neutral and minimalist space conducive to the aestheticization of objects, where the surrounding décor disappears to allow the work to “exist on its own.” In the early 20th century, Pre-Columbian artifacts were thus recognized as works of art, often at the expense of their original function: these objects are neither decorative nor ornamental, but operate according to ritual and power logics, highly codified and symbolically rich. Contemporary museography, despite the integration of immersive and interactive devices, still struggles to overcome this structural decontextualization. Artificial intelligence now appears as a promising tool to reintegrate these objects into their symbolic, ritual, and functional universes.

Artificial Intelligence in the Service of Museography

In November 2025, UNESCO held the conference The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Museums in Samarkand, as part of its 43rd General Conference session. The event highlighted the growing role of AI in transforming museological practices and emphasized the need for critical appropriation of these technologies by heritage professionals. Discussions stressed the importance of familiarizing museum staff with emerging tools, rethinking mediation strategies, and integrating generative devices that allow visitors to construct personalized narratives. Applied to scientific documentation, conservation, authentication, and mediation, AI constitutes a valuable instrument for situating artifacts within their networks of meaning, cosmologies, and ritual uses.

Practical Applications of AI for Pre-Columbian Arts

Generative AI automatically produces visual, textual, auditory, or video content. In museums, it is integrated through 3D digitization, photogrammetry, and automated image analysis. Platforms such as Google Cloud Vision AI and knowledge graphs connect artifacts to extended iconographic and symbolic contexts. Conversational agents such as Ask Mona or GuideUp/LenseUp provide visitors with personalized, multilingual, and interactive experiences, linking objects to historical, cosmological, and ethno-anthropological narratives. Immersive installations, such as the British Museum’s Living Room, allow visitors to virtually handle objects and explore reconstructed ritual environments, while some institutions are experimenting with AI-driven mediator robots to enhance cognitive and physical engagement.

Towards Immersive and Contextualized Scenography

Contemporary scenography is no longer limited to the simple arrangement of minimalist display cases. Immersive technologies—augmented reality, virtual reality, and interactive holography—allow the digital recreation of ritual sites, ceremonial scenes, or cosmological environments, providing visitors with a historically grounded and contextually rich framework around the displayed objects. Experimental platforms such as HoloArtisan combine artificial intelligence with multi-user environments to generate adaptive, personalized scenographies. Conversational agents enable the creation of tailored narratives, adapted to visitors’ languages, prior knowledge, and interests. The museum experience thus becomes interactive and reflexive, transforming the visit into a genuine cultural dialogue.

Ethical Considerations and Governance

The use of AI raises significant ethical and epistemological questions, including algorithmic bias, narrative simplification, system opacity, and risks of cultural appropriation. UNESCO and ICOM guidelines emphasize the importance of collaborative governance involving researchers, curators, and relevant communities to ensure the scientific validity and legitimacy of generated narratives. When properly regulated, AI becomes a tool for reflexive museography, transforming the museum into a living space of dialogue between knowledge, audiences, and cultures, fully revealing the symbolic depth of Pre-Columbian arts.

The Museum of the Future: Immersion and Contextualization

The integration of artificial intelligence into the museography of Pre-Columbian arts goes beyond mere display. It enables immersive and contextualized experiences, revealing the networks of meaning and cultural practices that give artifacts their full significance. These experimental technologies, when scientifically and ethically supervised, provide a powerful tool for contextualizing artworks through realistic scenographies, personalizing the visitor experience, and transforming the museum into a living, reflexive space that respectfully engages with the cultures presented.

To deepen your exhibition projects, explore the challenges of Pre-Columbian museography, or receive personalized advice, our team is at your disposal.

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