Alexander Farenholtz is supposed to get the documenta back on course after the anti-Semitism scandal. However, the cultural manager emphasizes that there will be no examination of the remaining works of art.
Since opening in mid-June, documenta fifteen has been overshadowed by an anti-Semitism scandal.
Alexander Farenholtz, who temporarily manages the business of documenta gGmbH after the resignation of general director Sabine Schormann, sees the world art exhibition on the right track. “I don’t doubt for a second that the show will continue until the end of its term,” said the cultural manager in Kassel on Friday. The success of the visitors alone shows that canceling is not an option. “The figures are very good, as is the mood. I believe that the documenta is on an excellent course as an exhibition,” emphasized Farenholtz.
Banners with anti-Semitic imagery
At the documenta, which is considered the most important exhibition for contemporary art alongside the Venice Biennale, a banner with anti-Semitic imagery was discovered and taken down shortly after it opened. Months earlier, allegations of anti-Semitism against the Indonesian curator collective Ruangrupa had been raised.
After a decision by the supervisory board around the chairman, Kassel’s Lord Mayor Christian Geselle (SPD), and his deputy, Hessen’s Minister of Art Angela Dorn (Greens), the exhibition is now to be fundamentally reformed. External experts should help with this.
Profound faults
The banner has led to profound upheavals, Farenholtz said on Friday. He hopes that after the conclusions that the supervisory board has now drawn, the exhibition can be guided on a smoother path. The 68-year-old, who was the managing director of the documenta from 1989 to 1993, emphasized that there would be no examination of the remaining works of art: “Under no circumstances should the impression be given that the scientific monitoring is introducing a supervisory authority.”
Rather, the panel will make recommendations and advice. It is up to the curators how they wish to make use of it. “It’s an advisory service for the curators. It’s not a restriction on curatorial freedom,” Farenholtz explained. This is undisputed. In the case of works that are considered critical, the curatorial team can request suggestions for contextualisation from the experts. “But that too is at the discretion of the curators.”
The expert committee is appointed by the city of Kassel and the state of Hesse as documenta shareholders. According to Farenholtz, Hesse’s Minister of Art Angela Dorn (Greens) and Kassel’s head of culture, Susanne Völker, are currently selecting the members of the committee and are expecting a result in the next two weeks.
Farenholtz: Themes extend beyond documenta fifteen
The documenta gGmbH is initially not directly involved. “That’s important, because it reflects the fact that the problem has such a far-reaching social significance that it cannot be dealt with in a period of 100 days as part of an art exhibition,” explained Farenholtz. “The topics to be dealt with extend far beyond documenta fifteen, both in terms of content and time.” Therefore, they should rightly be placed with political decision-makers who are capable of acting beyond the period of the documenta.
His role, says the 68-year-old, who was administrative director of the Federal Cultural Foundation from 2002 until reaching retirement age in January 2020, is a bit like that of a substitute football coach. “When there’s a change of coach in football, it’s often just a matter of a new temperament. And that can sometimes help to calm things down a bit.”
For him, the documenta still belongs in Kassel. “The special thing about the documenta is that it turns the whole city upside down. It wouldn’t do that in Berlin, Budapest, Paris or London.” (dpa)