Documenta fifteen

Documenta fifteen is the 15th edition of documenta, a contemporary art exhibition held in Kassel, Germany between June and September 2022.

documenta fifteen
Genre	Art exhibition
Begins	18 June 2022 (2022-06-18)
Ends	25 September 2022 (2022-09-25)
Location(s)	Kassel
Country	Germany
Previous event	documenta 14 (2017)

Overview

Documenta is a major contemporary art exhibition held every five years in Kassel, Germany. While a postponement to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic was considered likely in early 2021,^[1] it is currently still scheduled to run 8 June to 25 September 2022.^[2]

Planning

The Indonesian art collective Ruangrupa would serve as documenta fifteen's artistic director.^[3] Months before the opening of the art exhibition, the Indonesian collective has been accused of supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), despite German law barring the use of federal funds for groups with ties to the BDS movement.^[4]

Kassel venue vandalism

On 27 May 2022, the Kassel venue in Kassel, Germany, was vandalized. The Kassel venue was a Documenta exhibition space that was set to host "The Question of Funding", created by a Palestinian art collective. Phrases scribbled on the wall included "187" and "PERALTA". The "187" was allegedly a reference to the Penal Code of California for the crime of murder, and "PERALTA" was allegedly a reference to Isabel Medina Peralta, the leader of a Spanish far-right youth group.^[5][6]

Documenta filed a criminal complaint with the city of Kassel following the vandalism, and artists and organizers involved with Documenta15 issued a statement of support for Ruangrupa, the Indonesian collective curating the show. The statement claimed that the collective was erroneously accused of antisemitism.^[7][8]

Antisemitism controversy

A large painting by the Indonesian artist collective Taring Padi titled "People's Justice" was exhibited at the Documenta fifteen.^[9][10] It features classic anti-Jewish symbols with Nazi imagery from the years 1930s–1940s.^[11]

The picture triggered a major political, artistic, and social debate in Germany and Israel, both because the art exhibition has been curated by the Indonesian collective Ruangrupa with ties to the BDS movement and because Documenta was showing artworks that contain explicitly anti-Semitic symbols and stereotypical depictions of Jews in Germany, in 2022.^[4][11][12] Many observers saw it as a scandal preceded by months of warnings about the anti-Semitic attitudes of the organizing Indonesian collective Ruangrupa,^[4][11] which were ignored by the management of the Documenta, its general director Sabine Schormann [de], and others.^[13] The Central Council of Jews in Germany had warned Documenta in forehand.^[13]

Jörg Sperling, chairman of the Documenta-Forum, criticized the taking-down of the picture featuring Nazi symbols and anti-Semitic depictions of Jews. He stated that the Taring Padi's picture is covered by the freedom of art and that it portrayed the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. He further described it as a "subject that lies outside of art" and that art cannot solve, "documenta cannot solve that either", he said.^[14] He later stepped back from his position as chairman of the Documenta-Forum. Sabine Schormann initially refused to resign and said she "immediately assumed her operational responsibility". The "unforgivable mistake" arose "from an unfortunate set of circumstances", Schormann said.^[15] Claudia Roth, who currently serves as the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, declared in an official statement that its removal was "overdue" and "is only a first step".^[11] She further commented by announcing that "more must follow", and stated: "It must be cleared up how it was possible for this mural with antisemitic figurative elements to be installed there".^[11]

This "scandal with announcement" triggered a debate as to whether the Documenta itself should have a future. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) said at the show's official opening, "there are limits” to what artists can do when they address political issues. He declared: “As justified as some criticism of Israeli policies, such as the building of settlements, is, recognizing Israeli statehood means recognizing the dignity and security of the modern Jewish community.” Steinmeier pointed out that the Documenta management should not "outsource their responsibility to the Indonesian curators", but instead should take on the role of mediators and “create appropriate structures" for debate.^[16] Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) demonstratively announced that he would stay away from the Documenta this year.^[17]

On 17 July, Schormann resigned.^[18]

Art professor Bazon Brock commented about the failure of the Documenta management during a radio interview hosted by the German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk: "People liquidated art in the name of artistic freedom."^[13]

References

1. Hickley, Catherine (2021-01-13). "Documenta 15 postponement increasingly likely, general director says". The Art Newspaper. from the original on 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
2. "About". documenta fifteen. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
3. Marshall, Alex (2019-02-22). "Indonesian Art Collective to Curate Next Documenta Exhibition". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on 2021-05-09. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
4. • Cole, Deborah (2022-06-17). "Major German art show to open despite accusations of support for BDS". The Times of Israel. Jerusalem. ISSN 0040-7909. OCLC 1076401854. from the original on 2022-06-29. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
   • "German president calls on major art show to address antisemitism allegations". The Times of Israel. Jerusalem. 2022-06-19. ISSN 0040-7909. OCLC 1076401854. from the original on 2022-06-28. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
5. Dafoe, Taylor (2022-05-31). "Vandals Attack a Kassel Arts Venue Where a Palestinian Group Is Set to Show During Documenta". Artnet News. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
6. Greenberger, Alex (2022-05-31). "Documenta Files Criminal Complaint After Exhibition Space Is Vandalized Amid Anti-Semitism Controversy". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
7. Dafoe, Taylor (2022-06-03). "More Than 130 Documenta Artists and Organizers Issue a Statement Condemning 'Racist Attacks' Against the Show's Curators". Artnet News. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
8. Greenberger, Alex (2022-06-06). "Documenta Artists Respond to 'Racist' Vandalism of Palestinian Collective's Exhibition Space". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
9. "Antisemitismus-Eklat auf Documenta: Taring Padi entschuldigt sich". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2022-06-27.
10. Marshall, Alex (2022-06-21). "Documenta Takes Down Art After Antisemitism Accusations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
11. • Min-Neo, Hui (2022-06-20). "Israel, Jews voice 'disgust' over antisemitic imagery at German art festival". The Times of Israel. Jerusalem. ISSN 0040-7909. OCLC 1076401854. from the original on 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
    • "Banner with Jewish soldier as pig being removed from German art show, after protests". The Times of Israel. Jerusalem. 2022-06-22. ISSN 0040-7909. OCLC 1076401854. from the original on 2022-06-24. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
12. "documenta 15 art exhibition provides a platform for antisemitism". Arolsen Archives. 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
13. "Antisemitismus bei der Documenta: Kulturstaatsministerin Roth will Kontrolle". www.fr.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-06-27.
14. "Nach Antisemitismus-Eklat: Erster Vorsitzender der documenta tritt zurück – Kuratorenteam entschuldigt sich". RP ONLINE (in German). 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
15. "Documenta 15 - Schormann will Generaldirektorin bleiben". Deutschlandfunk Kultur (in German). Retrieved 2022-06-27.
16. "Major German art show opens amid antisemitism controversy". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
17. "documenta-Chefin Schormann will Ausstellung "systematisch untersuchen"". www.t-online.de (in German). 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
18. "The Head of Documenta Has Resigned Amid an Ongoing Antisemitism Scandal as the Mega-Exhibition Seeks to Regain Lost 'Trust'". 2022-07-18. Retrieved 2022-07-20.

Further reading

• Brown, Kate (2020-06-22). "Documenta 2022 Will Now Have Even More Curators, With the Collective Organizing It Bringing in 9 Other Organizations to Help". Artnet News. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
• Farago, Jason (September 23, 2022). "The World's Most Prestigious Art Exhibition Is Over. Maybe Forever". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
• Hickley, Catherine (2020-11-24). "Dozens asked to participate in Documenta 15—only to realise invitations are fake". The Art Newspaper. from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
• Russeth, Andrew (2019-02-22). "Ruangrupa Artist Collective Picked to Curate Documenta 15". ARTnews.com. from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2021-06-19.

External links

• Official website