First it was about a banner with anti-Semitic imagery, now other works have appeared. Meron Mendel was a documenta advisor and was shocked by what happened.
The director of the Anne Frank educational institution, Meron Mendel, is, in his own words, “stunned” by the renewed appearance of anti-Semitic motifs at the documenta.
Mendel worked as a consultant for the documenta after a work with anti-Semitic imagery was dismantled there. He accused the then General Manager Sabine Schormann of inactivity and withdrew as a consultant. On Wednesday, a research collective pointed to further work with anti-Semitic stereotypes.
Mendel: “I’m honestly stunned”
“While our educational team at the information stand on Friedrichsplatz is providing information about anti-Semitic imagery, the worst anti-Semitic caricatures are once again becoming known, which the artistic director of the documenta and Ms. Schormann had apparently been pointed out by a visitor weeks ago,” Mendel told the German press -Agency. “I’m honestly stunned that I, as a documenta advisor at the time, was not informed about this and instead was decided on the basis of a legal opinion to leave the problematic works with clearly anti-Semitic imagery in the exhibition.”
Appeal to artistic direction
Mendel is also unsatisfied with how documenta dealt with this second case: “The fact that the artistic direction now only wants to contextualize the work instead of waiting for the advice of the new panel of experts that will start work tomorrow does not show that Ruangrupa really cares about expert opinions on anti-Semitism seriously and respected. I appeal to the artistic direction to take the pictures out of the exhibition for the time being and to start an exchange with the new panel of experts.”
According to the Research and Information Center for Antisemitism Hessen (RIAS Hessen), a visitor to the world art show noticed corresponding representations in the Museum Fridericianum. These are therefore representations in a brochure that was published in Algiers in 1988. The drawings by the Syrian artist Burhan Karkoutly contained in it partly showed anti-Semitic stereotypes and the country of Palestine, provided with classifications that denied the legitimacy of the State of Israel. It was therefore issued by an Algerian women’s initiative. (dpa)