Many had expected that after weeks of controversy about anti-Semitism at the Documenta, its new director, Alexander Farenholtz, would now initiate a review of all artworks, if not more drastic steps. But that won’t happen.
The Documenta supervisory board decided on Friday to appoint a committee of experts to advise the artistic direction. However, according to Farenholtz, these would only be active selectively, and there would be no general “screening” of the exhibition. In any case, the experts would only make recommendations. In any case, the curatorial collective Ruangrupa has the final say on how works that are perceived as problematic are dealt with. “If they decide that they want to take a work out of the exhibition, they can do so. Otherwise, it stays there. There will be no interference with the curators’ autonomy of action.”
Exactly this question is the subject of an anonymous letter from artists represented at the Documenta to the supervisory board, which became public on Thursday. In it, you speak out decisively against the convening of an expert advisory board. Such a body creates an atmosphere of “intimidation, distrust and censorship”. They reject an “examination” of the works of art, the result will not be accepted, they write. “We come from many countries where we face censorship boards and oppression and also refuse to obey them. Censorship boards deprive audiences of the responsibility to engage, to learn and to unlearn.” It is not clear who the authors of the letter are and whether they include members of Ruangrupa.
He understands the concerns of the artists, says Farenholtz, now he just has to clear them up
What outraged the senders of the letter is the fact that the advisory committee is not convened by the Documenta management itself, but by the shareholders, i.e. the city of Kassel and the state of Hesse. The curators were therefore not asked. Farenholtz defended the approach. In this way, the aim is to avoid giving the public the impression that Ruangrupa only takes advice from people who have views similar to her own.
The authors of the letter also complain that they feel discriminated against in Kassel and sometimes even threatened and attacked, that they are exposed to “hostility and racism”. They are demanding more serious efforts from the Documenta to track “these attacks.” They also criticize the fact that many of them have only received temporary visas.
Farenholtz, who only took office on Tuesday, said he had a lot of understanding for the attitude of the artists. In many conversations over the past few days, he has tried to allay their concerns and to explain to them that it is a matter of defending curatorial freedom, but also of taking public pressure seriously. Apparently that hasn’t worked for everyone. But he also reads in the letter a great willingness to work together and make the Documenta a success.