Expositie van Russische bontproducten tijdens de wereldtentoonstelling te Antwerpen 1894

Th. Lantin captured this image of the exhibition of Russian fur products at the World Fair in Antwerp. The scene is striking for its display of luxury and excess, but also for the absence it implies. The image is charged with the dynamics of global trade at the turn of the century. Fur, historically a symbol of status and wealth, takes on a different dimension here, referencing Russia’s colonial past. Whose labor was exploited to procure these furs, and who profited from their sale? The display contrasts sharply with the realities of indigenous communities and the environmental cost of the industry. There's a tension between the allure of the fur products and an underlying unease. The scene invites us to consider our own relationship to consumerism and the human and environmental costs of the luxury goods industries.