The Dresden Ethnographic Museum in the Japanese Palais opened on 8 December 2016. Its holdings encompass more than 100,000 objects from all over the world. When he founded the “Kunstkammer” in 1560, Elector Augustus I of Saxony also laid the cornerstone for the Ethnographic Museum’s present-day collection. The history of this collection is quite eventful and mirrors the changing forms of its appreciation and significance. Objects whispering in their crates, anonymous historical portraits from the photo archive, an absurd cabinet of curiosities revolving around passionate collecting and classification, and a choreography of masks liberated from the depots invite the visitor to take a look behind the scenes at the Ethnographic Museum. The exhibition “Tales of People, Things and Places” tells global and local stories. In ten vibrant interactive installations, the museum takes a critical look at the tradition of ethnographic collections.