“We all failed to spot the anti-Semitic figures in the work,” writes the Ruangrupa artist collective in an English-language statement on the Documenta Fifteen website. “It’s our fault. We apologize for the disappointment, shame, frustration, betrayal and shock we have caused to viewers.” The curators of the Weltkunstschau, who come from Indonesia, say in their statement, which has been awaited for days, that they “now completely understand” that the pictures follow seamlessly from the worst time in German history, in which Jews were persecuted and murdered on a hitherto unimaginable scale .
“It is a shock not only but specifically for the Jewish community in Kassel and throughout Germany, whom we consider our allies and who to this day live under the trauma of the past, experience discrimination, prejudice and marginalization.” At the same time, the curators point out that the Documenta Fifteen should remain open and they hope to continue the dialogue that has begun.
Meanwhile Claudia Roth, Minister of State for Culture in the Chancellery, published a five-point plan with which the federal government could regain more influence on the world art show. “The removal of the anti-Semitic motif was only a first step,” it says. Now reappraisal and “structural reforms” are necessary in order to “reposition the documenta for the future”. She is in talks with the Hessian Minister of Education, Angela Dorn, about the structural change that has been called for.
The “withdrawal from the supervisory board” while “at the same time holding on to federal funding was a serious mistake,” is the reasoning. “It has become apparent that the Documenta’s primarily local responsibility is disproportionate to its importance as one of the world’s most important art exhibitions.” In the future, federal financial support is to be linked to “direct involvement in the structures”. In addition to the federal level, international experience in the supervision of the Documenta and in management is also required. “The integration of international expertise and the plurality of German society, including the Central Council of Jews, must play a role here, as must the clear delimitation of responsibilities.”
“We also reserve the right to uninvite individual artists”
Roth’s plan reveals that serious mistakes may have been made in Kassel: In any case, the Minister of State has not yet received any contracts or agreements regarding the responsibilities of the current exhibition.
The “experts” also demanded by Roth, who are researching other problematic works, were Director General now also on the Documenta Fifteen website announced: Schormann promises the appointment of experts, including the Anne Frank educational center in Frankfurt: “Clearly anti-Semitic representations will be deinstalled, and disputed positions will be debated. We also reserve the right to uninvite individual artists.” Possibly rooms of the Documenta Fifteen should also be closed for the time being. The promised dialogue is to begin with a panel discussion on Wednesday next week.
That the international selection committee, which selected the Indonesian collective as curators, issued its own statement published almost simultaneously with Ruangrupa, surprised. However, it is not formulated so clearly. It is “shocked” by the anti-Semitic cartoons, but points out that there is a difference between criticism of the Israeli state and anti-Semitism. Then the “legacy of colonialism” is addressed, and finally “respect” is expressly paid to the Taring Padi collective – for its long-standing struggle against the Suharto dictatorship in Indonesia.