"Decontext" is a portrait series in a digital gallery form which portrays its subjects exclusively through the objects they choose to keep in their room. It attempts to convey the impacts of the decontextualization of artifacts by anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, and curators of cultures, and the ways in which their display perpetuates this. This piece shows how, even when not done in a malicious intent, the effects of decontextualization have shaped our understandings of the past. I attempt to bring this to the forefront by decontextualizing, and in some cases, intentionally misrepresenting our culture as it is told through our objects. In doing so, I call into question our understanding of past cultures. When entirely decontextualized, in what ways is the understanding of our toys, cosmetics, electronics different from the scrolls, sandals, and marbles of the ancient world?

made by Henry Bayha for Augmenting the Gallery, NYU Berlin, Spring 2026.