Documenta Director General Schormann resigns from her post
Documenta Director General Sabine Schormann has resigned from her post
Source: Swen Pförtner/dpa
The general director of documenta fifteen in Kassel, Sabine Schormann, resigns from her position. The supervisory board announced that it was mutually agreed to terminate her employment contract. And speaks of a “considerable damage” for the art fair.
NAfter meeting late into the night on Friday, the documenta supervisory board announced in a statement on Saturday that it had been unanimously agreed “against the background of anti-Semitism allegations against documenta fifteen and with a view to the future of documenta”. , to replace the previous General Manager Sabine Schorman.
This decision was made by mutual agreement between the Supervisory Board, shareholders and Schormann. Schormann drew the conclusion from the anti-Semitism scandal at this year’s show.
The statement goes on to say: “The Supervisory Board expresses its deep dismay that clearly anti-Semitic motifs were seen on the opening weekend of documenta fifteen. The presentation of the banner ‘People’s Justice’ by the Taring Padi artist collective with its anti-Semitic imagery was a clear transgression and the documenta was inflicted with considerable damage.”
In the past few weeks, there have been repeated calls for the 60-year-old to resign. Among other things, she was accused of inaction in the processing of the scandal.
Most recently, the head of the Anne Frank educational institution, Meron Mendel, withdrew as a documenta advisor. He was actually supposed to be part of a commission of experts that was supposed to check the remaining works of the documenta for further anti-Semitic content. Schormann, however, did not follow up on their announcements with action, he criticized. As a result, Hito Steyerl, one of the most important international artists, declared that she was withdrawing her works from the documenta.
It is essential to clarify the incident promptly
It is “essential to clarify this incident promptly, to draw conclusions based on scientific findings for dealing with anti-Semitic processes in the cultural and art context and to avert further damage to the documenta,” the statement said.
By hanging up the banner and also in the course of crisis management in the past few weeks, “unfortunately a lot of trust has been lost. The Supervisory Board considers it essential that everything is done to regain this trust.”
Regarding the pending processing of the anti-Semitism scandal, the statement said that it was recommended to the Documenta shareholders’ meeting that “a scientific accompaniment” be responsible for an “initial inventory of the processes, structures and reception around the documenta fifteen” and “recommendations for the should give a refurbishment”.
The city of Kassel and the state of Hesse share the goal of “resolving the misconduct on the subject of anti-Semitism and structural deficits and doing everything possible to ensure that the documenta will continue to have its unique position as an exhibition for contemporary art in the future”.
For the General Direction of the Documenta there should initially be an interim solution. For the time being, it is still unknown who could be entrusted with succeeding Schormann. Schormann moved to Kassel as general director in autumn 2018. The year before, the non-profit documenta GmbH hit the headlines because of a deficit in the millions at documenta 14 in 2017. The managing director at the time, the art historian Annette Kulenkampf, then resigned from her post. For a transitional period, the music manager Wolfgang Orthmayr initially managed the business.