analysis
Status: 09/22/2022 10:18 a.m
The documenta in Kassel ends on Sunday. What remains of the art show: allegations of anti-Semitism and a dispute over artistic freedom and censorship. How could that happen?
Ilana Katz is a big documenta fan. The chairwoman of the Jewish community in Kassel took extra leave long before the art show so she could “enjoy documenta every day,” as she puts it. For example, she spent hours in the documenta hall, one of the 32 documenta locations in downtown Kassel. She enjoyed the atmosphere there, which was so peaceful, and admired the works of art.
But then came the long, seemingly endless discussion about anti-Semitism, about works of art that Katz simply finds “hurting”. She bitterly notes: “It was a lost summer.” Her joy and enthusiasm are swept away.
How could it come to this?
As early as January, the first allegations were made that members of the documenta curatorial team ruangrupa from Indonesia were anti-Semitic and would support the BDS movement, which calls for a boycott of Israel. At the time, documenta managing director Sabine Schormann called for people to wait until the world art show began, as there was nothing anti-Semitic about it.
Around 1500 artists from dozens of artist collectives from all continents took part. This world art show was intended to give the global south a voice, away from the European art mainstream. Values such as sustainability should be the focus, freedom of opinion, open exchange between different cultures.
The first scandal right at the beginning
And then right at the beginning of the documenta in June came the scandal surrounding the large banner of the artist group Taring Padi, which showed openly anti-Semitic caricatures. It had to be taken down. Ruangrupa was shocked, vowed to get better, and wanted to address German sensitivities. But more and more new allegations were made, and more and more works of art were the focus of criticism. The documenta managing director had to resign.
The curators from Indonesia were suspicious from the start. In their homeland they experienced the brutal regime of the dictator Suharto, who also had art censored. And now they saw how, for example, Minister of State Claudia Roth called for the removal of particularly controversial works of art. The curatorial team always said “No censorship!” countered. In interviews, too, the Indonesians repeated almost like a mantra that they would under no circumstances yield to political pressure. Her experiences from the Suharto period probably played an important role.
The criticism grew louder and ruangrupa reacted more and more irritably. Until finally, in an open letter, they described their critics as “neo-colonialists” and “racists”. An understanding about anti-Semitism at the documenta no longer seems possible.
The friendly side of the documenta
Most visitors to Kassel experienced a completely different documenta. The vast majority of works of art have nothing to do with the anti-Semitism debate. For example, they denounce the communist regime in Cuba. Or the food industry in Bangladesh, which, according to the artist collective Britto Arts Trust, uses pesticides on a massive scale without hesitation.
A striking number of young people traveled to Kassel to experience this completely different, approachable documenta, which does not want to create art for auctions worth millions, but art that stands up for the oppressed, for the exploited, for people suffering from climate change.
An end to the dispute
Ilana Katz from the Jewish Community also saw all of this and was initially still full of hope that this documenta would take a positive turn for her. Two members of ruangrupa even visited the Jewish community. “We explained to them how much the anti-Semitic artworks hurt us and we understood each other,” says Katz. Or so it seemed to her. But the most recent open letter from the documenta organizers has destroyed their hopes. Even a video glorifying terror against Israel could go on. She and many Jews felt deeply hurt by this. But ruangrupa is no longer open to criticism or inquiries.
Indonesians themselves feel deliberately misunderstood and discriminated against for not being European. A dialogue with the critics probably no longer serves any purpose. And so this documenta of the two faces ends in dispute. Although she wanted to promote understanding and mutual respect.