The four remaining members of the documenta search committee have resigned from their positions. Two commission members had previously resigned. There had been allegations of anti-Semitism against one of the two.
After a discussion about allegations of anti-Semitism, the search committee for the artistic direction of the upcoming edition of the documenta world art exhibition in Kassel has now completely resigned. The four remaining members announced their resignation on Thursday, documenta announced in the evening.
The resignation was the personal decision of Simon Njami, Gong Yan, Kathrin Rhomberg and María Inés Rodríguez and was not an easy one for them. The documenta respects this decision, after all, the work process of the search committee for documenta 16 came under increasing pressure after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th.
Accusations of anti-Semitism against another member
The Indian writer and curator Ranjit Hoskoté had previously resigned from the search committee. It had against him Accusations of anti-Semitism given. He is said to have signed a statement in 2019, which supports the anti-Israel BDS movement.
The Israeli artist Bracha Lichtenberg Ettinger also resigned from the committee – apparently also because of the current situation in the Middle East. Documenta announced this on Monday. After the first two resignations, it was considered to continue with the remaining members of the commission, to increase the size of the commission, to suspend the work or to relaunch it completely.
The original six-member search committee was supposed to propose a curator or a collective for the upcoming edition of documenta in 2027 by the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024. Now the search process is to be completely relaunched, as documenta further announced.
Already those documenta 15 was from one Anti-Semitism scandal been overshadowed. The show is considered, alongside the Venice Biennale, to be the most important exhibition for contemporary art.