Documenta is a controversial and controversial art world event that takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. But this year’s edition surpasses anything past.
Major artwork, including anti-Semitic caricatures, have been removed from the exhibit since the sprawling show opened in June, and the event’s director General resigned. After it was revealed that the show also contained: paintings in the 1980s Some of the Israeli soldiers, including the hook-nosed soldiers.
The past 50 days of events may be unprecedented for an event like Documenta, where only the Venice Biennale plays an important role in the art world. The uproar over the image has dominated German newspapers for weeks, but Ruan Lupa, the collective who curated this year’s event, and other artists have been accused of supporting the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. In addition to months of allegations that he was, he is widely viewed as an anti-Semite in Germany. (The German parliament in 2019 questioned Israel’s right to exist and declared the BDS movement anti-Semitic.)
Taken together, documenta is the latest cultural event to highlight the growing divide between the German establishment’s views on the boycott of Israel and those of artists, musicians and other creators, especially those from abroad. Some ask if a solution can be found to prevent the ruckus from repeating.
The widely held view in much of the art world is that supporting a boycott is not anti-Semitism, but that Israel is playing a role in colonial rule, said the director of the Anne Frank Education Center in Frankfurt. A Melon Mendel said: These views are in stark contrast to those of German politicians. According to Mendel, both sides “seem to be entrenched in their own views and unwilling to discuss each other’s concerns.
“The international cultural elite and the German state are in a very fundamental conflict,” he added.
Adam Szymczyk, curator and artistic director of the last issue of documenta in 2017, said the debate was highly polarized, hindering the creation of a climate of “trust, understanding and freedom of expression.” rice field.
This is not the first time a cultural visitor to Germany has been embroiled in controversy over anti-Semitism, particularly related to support for the BDS movement. The BDS movement urges companies and people to avoid doing business with Israel in protest of its treatment of Palestinians. In 2018, British band Young Fathers were removed from Germany’s arts festival bill for supporting a boycott that sparked Nazi memory in Germany. boycott of Jewish companies It began in 1933. (The band was later invited to the event again, but declined.
The German parliament also called on local authorities in 2019 to deny public funding to anyone who “actively supports” the movement. The director issued an open letter warning that such a move would be “dangerous” and risk limiting cultural exchanges.
The commotion surrounding documenta began six months before the show even started. That was when the protest group, the Alliance Against the Anti-Semitic Kassel, accused an artist of supporting the BDS movement. The accusations were made on anonymous blogs but were picked up by German newspapers and repeated by politicians.then a space to house the Palestinian population money problem was devastated.
In June, a full-blown scandal broke out when Indonesian art collective Taring Padi installed an artwork called “People’s Justice” in one of Kassel’s main squares since 2002.
About 60 feet long, the political banner features cartoon-like depictions of activists struggling under military rule in Indonesia. Among the hundreds of figures are caricatures of Jews with sidelocks and fangs, wearing hats emblazoned with the Nazi SS crest. The banner also features a military man with a pig’s head and wearing a Star of David neckerchief, which is meant to represent members of Mossad, Israel’s security agency.
Shortly after the work was installed, German politicians and Jewish groups denounced it as anti-Semitic. Taring Padi and ruangrupa apologized and the work was withdrawn.
Alexander Spartno, a member of Taring Paddy and an art historian at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland, said in a video interview that members of the group were not anti-Semitic and respected people of all religions and races. When asked about caricatures, the group’s response was: why didn’t we see this? he added.The group sought to represent Israeli officials who supported former Indonesian dictator Suharto, but “consciously or unconsciously” they using stereotypes He said it was likely first introduced to his country by Dutch settlers.
Spartno said many artists felt the German media labeled the documenta anti-Semitic without discussing it. At the time (this was before it was deleted), the mood was so tense that about 70 artists representing the many collectives at the exhibition came together to discuss what to do. Some protested what they felt was censorship without discussion or dialogue, which would mean effectively closing the exhibition itself, which would have meant covering all the works in the exhibition. I asked.
Even efforts to address the flashpoints at Documenta face difficulties, as there is little trust between artists and the German media and authorities. On Monday, an academic commission appointed by local authorities began investigating what happened at documenta. That authority also includes providing advice when more problematic images come to light.
However, many documenta artists are against panels. Ruangrupa member Farid Rakun said in a video interview that he was “forced to read only once” the exhibition as anti-Semitic. It can lead to censorship. It also sets a precedent for concern. “This is a political move,” said Lacun, adding, “We cannot accept it.”
Academics say their research will not lead to censorship boards.
In interviews with 10 artists participating in Documenta, all said they were concerned about the potential repercussions of the disturbance. Vidisha Fadeshaartist and founder of India-based art and social space party officeUsing their/their pronouns. German artists may limit their ability to find work by voicing their opinion, Vidisha-Fadescha added.
Several artists said they believed the commotion was already having an impact. Eyal WisemanThe director of Forensic Architecture, a group that investigates political violence in museums around the world, said in a telephone interview earlier this year that a German museum director said Weizmann was supporting the BDS movement. said he had postponed one of his exhibitions. The director canceled Wiseman’s show altogether after the furore over documenta erupted in his June.
But Josef Schuster, chairman of Germany’s Central Jewish Council, wrote in an email that artists shouldn’t worry about censorship. Fortunately, that era is over,” he said, adding, “But history also teaches us that we can’t say it all.”
He added that anti-Semitism is rampant in Germany and that some of documenta’s works may contribute to it. “There’s no need to worry about Germany’s appeal as a cultural place,” Schuster said, adding that “there are enough artists” who have a clear stance against boycotting Israel.
There is one place where the discussion does not seem very prominent. It’s the exhibition itself. Ruanrupa members Daniela Praptno and Mirwan Andang, in a video interview, show that visitors, including schoolchildren from Germany, see daily a series of works of art that are now spread throughout Kassel, meet artists, and attend classes. When asked if any of the visiting children mentioned anti-Semitism, Plaputno replied, “Of course not.”
“They are learning, sharing and making friends,” she added.
Michael Lazar, a member of the Kassel Jewish Community Committee, said in a telephone interview that he felt there were some “worst kind of agitprop” or anti-Semitic productions, which involved 1,500 people. He said more than 100 artists were involved. He had good relationships with many documentas, including Ruang Rupa, the editor and organizer of documenta.
“Every documenta is always said to be the last one, and it continues after that,” he said. “I hope the next 50 days are filled with excitement.”
