An art collective responsible for the most important exhibition in the world. Can this go well? Before the official start of the documenta, tension is high. Now there is much praise from qualified mouths.
For the first time, the documenta in Kassel will be curated by an art collective. This is one of the reasons why there is so much excitement when looking at the most important presentation of contemporary art.
Even before the official opening this Saturday, there is now a lot of praise from relevant experienced parties.
The Berlin museum directors Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath expect a change in dealing with art as a result of the documenta. “This documenta will change the way we see art, what we believe, what an exhibition represents,” Bardaouil told the German Press Agency in Kassel. Together with Fellrath he directs the Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum for Contemporary Art, in Berlin. Both are also curators of the Lyon Biennale in September and were also jointly responsible for the successful French pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale.
“The documenta was always a generator of new thinking about art, the kind of exhibitions,” said Bardaouil, “there were various editions that created new approaches, for example to dealing with globalization.”
Most important presentation of contemporary art
Alongside the Venice Biennale, the documenta is the most important presentation of contemporary art. It is curated by the Indonesian art group Ruangrupa. 14 collectives, organizations and institutions as well as 54 artists will present their works at 32 locations until September 25th.
Fellrath sees very positive energy in the exhibition. “This warm welcome embraces the visitors. Sometimes it is not clear where the art ends and where you are as a viewer,” he told the dpa. “That’s how art becomes part of life and that’s the spirit of how it was created.” That is very gripping. “It’s not about something hanging in the museum, it actually means something to people.”
Bardaouil spoke of a lot of generosity. “In many large exhibitions, the voice of the curators is very present. Here, very generously, many voices are allowed, which are anchored in their respective communities and societies.” The exhibition demands not to rely on the art object as something that can simply be consumed. “Ruangrupa has removed the sacredness of the objects, allowing the stories behind them to actually take place.”
Rosenthal: “very excited”
Of course, it takes more time to grasp a story than just looking at an object. “That’s the challenge of diving into things and the layers that come with it.” It’s not about fictional assumptions, but about real people and environments in which the artists are involved. “Art becomes more than art, it becomes a medium.”
The director of the Gropius Bau in Berlin, Stephanie Rosenthal, was also “very enthusiastic” about the first tour. You can see “that an exhibition can be created at such a high level in such a collective,” she told the dpa in Kassel.
Rosenthal, 2019 jury chairperson at the Venice Art Biennale, was “very convinced, because you can tell that there is a common mindset”. The documenta has become a very uniform exhibition, which is surprising at first. “You really get the feeling that there has been a collaboration here and that there is a common interest.”
“I think it’s fantastic work, very well installed and also a good mix between artists you’ve never heard of and big names that aren’t used as a marketing gimmick.” As an example, Rosenthal cited the Ottoneum exhibition venue, where Hito Steyerl’s “Animal Spirits” can be found after the “Cheescoins” work by the Inland collective. Steyerl is one of the most important international artists. “Such big names, they could also be at the top,” said Rosenthal, who will be moving to the United Arab Emirates as director of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project on September 1st. (dpa)