art world
documenta scandal: Demands for consequences are getting louder
The day after the controversial large banner was taken down, there was only empty scaffolding on Friedrichsplatz. Photo: Uwe Zucchi/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Clarification is required in the anti-Semitism debate surrounding the art show. But for the time being there are still many unanswered questions. How did the scandal come about – and what’s next?
In the anti-Semitism debate about the documenta in Kassel, the demands for consequences are getting louder.
“The general director of the documenta, Sabine Schormann, must resign immediately or be dismissed by the supervisory board,” said the president of the German-Israeli Society (DIF), former Greens member of the Bundestag Volker Beck, the “Kölner Stadt-anzeiger”. The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, had previously spoken out in favor of personnel consequences.
FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai said it was important to “relentlessly clarify how this shameful incident could have happened and who was specifically responsible for which decisions and when”. The most important thing is that consequences are drawn from it. “Anyone who approves of these inhuman failures should not be responsible for an internationally known cultural event in Germany.”
Banner first draped in black
The anti-Semitism debate about the art exhibition, which had been smoldering for a long time, escalated earlier this week with attention to a large-format banner. In the work called “People’s Justice” by the Indonesian artist collective Taring Padi, many saw an anti-Semitic imagery. Those responsible for the documenta decided to cover the picture with black panels of fabric. It was completely dismantled on Tuesday evening.
The general director of the documenta, Sabine Schormann, apologized. It had been assured that no anti-Semitic content would be on display at documenta fifteen. “Unfortunately, we didn’t keep that promise. And that shouldn’t have happened.”
The chairman of the documenta forum, Jörg Sperling, however, criticized the removal of the work. “A free world has to endure that,” he said. The work of the Indonesian artist collective Taring Padi is a caricature and, in his opinion, covered by artistic freedom. “Art raised a topic that lies outside of art: the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis. Art cannot solve this problem, and documenta cannot solve it either.”
The documenta, which can be experienced every five years, is considered the most important international presentation of contemporary art alongside the Venice Biennale. The 15th edition of the show since 1955 lasts until September 25th.