Gezicht op het Oosterse deel van de Wereldtentoonstelling van Antwerpen in 1894 1894

Charles Bernhoeft captured the Oosterse deel of the Wereldtentoonstelling in Antwerpen in 1894 through photography. The minarets and domes call to mind a collective memory, evoking the architecture of the ‘Orient’ – a term laden with centuries of European fascination and projection. These architectural forms— domes and minarets – aren't merely aesthetic choices; they're potent signifiers. Think of the Hagia Sophia, transformed from a church to a mosque, its dome a symbol of Byzantine ingenuity appropriated and repurposed. Similarly, minarets, originally used for the call to prayer, began to represent the spread of power across landscapes. Here, in this World's Fair, the inclusion of such 'Oriental' motifs reveals a complex interplay of cultural exchange, power dynamics, and the exoticism of far-off lands. These motifs tap into a subconscious desire for the 'Other,' repackaged and presented for consumption. The past resurfaces, not as it was, but as it's imagined.