A GLASGOW woman has said she was left “disappointed, heartbroken and disgusted” after accusing a museum of racial profiling.
The Gallery of Modern Art (Goma) on Queen Street issued a statement refuting the claims, after a video shared on Tiktok showed a woman being approached by staff and told not to take pictures in front of the artwork.
Glasgow Live reported that Aqsa Sharif and her mother, a Hijabi woman, were in the gallery on December 20 when they were accused of "being in the way of an elderly woman" and told they needed permission to take pictures in the gallery.
Sharif, from Glasgow, said the employees were "watching her" from the corner of the room and prompting her to begin filming when a second member of staff came over.
In the video, which has now been seen more than 460,000 times, a staff member can be heard telling Sharif they need to ask for permission to take pictures as it "can be awkward for other customers," despite there also being other people in the gallery with professional cameras.
She responded by stating that it was a "bit odd" that she had been singled out despite there being other people taking pictures and that the gallery was relatively quiet before the woman apologised for upsetting her.
Speaking to Glasgow Live, Sharif said: “I didn't find it appropriate that an employee seemingly came over to [get] me into trouble for doing something that is permitted by the gallery.
“I was not doing anything I wasn't supposed to be. You can see from the video she initially attempts to intimidate my mother and I by telling us off and swiftly running away. However, I was not okay with being treated like a criminal for just existing.
"I proceeded to try and understand why we were being treated like this through asking her. Despite asking numerous times, she could not detail an actual reason for why we were being watched and continually told off by herself and her colleague.
“It's also very concerning to me that she felt comfortable enough to try and bend the rules, claiming I had to get permission to take pictures. This is not true.
“I was told I was standing in an elderly woman's way. This comment set off alarm bells for me and I knew something else was going to happen. I was not in anyone's way for simply standing and looking at a piece of art.
"I have been left feeling disappointed, heartbroken and disgusted by my experience at the Goma, and I will never feel comfortable enough to attend ever again.
"People of colour are allowed to exist in spaces and take up room. The staff have demonstrated they believe that white people are the most important guests at the Goma, and everyone else is a 'concern'.
“They engaged in vile behaviour and microaggressions that must be investigated and prevented from ever occurring again. Quite frankly, neither of them are fit to work in an environment that is supposed to be open to all kinds of people from different walks of life.
“Art is for everyone. The Goma must be held accountable."
In response, the museum issued a statement on social media, refuting claims that the behaviour was racially motivated.
The statement reads: "This is a statement on behalf of Goma, in response to a film recently shared on TikTok.
"We want everyone to feel welcome at Glasgow Life venues.
"Part of the visitor assistant role at Glasgow Life is to check with visitors who are filming or photographing for prolonged periods to assess the intended purpose of the video or photos.
"In this instance, filming at Goma had reached the point where colleagues felt they should have a discussion with the person recording.
"As mentioned in the recording, a similar discussion was held with a Glasgow Life colleague filming at Goma earlier in the same week.
“We are completely satisfied that this discussion was not, in any way, based on race and that our colleague dealt with the situation appropriately."
