New anti-Semitism works at documenta trigger indignation | free press

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Other works with anti-Jewish stereotypes have appeared at the documenta. The shareholders of the show want them to be removed for the time being. The FDP goes one step further.

Kassel/Berlin.

First a huge banner was dismantled, now other critical images have been found in a catalogue: After renewed anti-Semitism allegations, the shareholders of the documenta in Kassel are demanding that the drawings under discussion be removed from the exhibition “until they are appropriately contextualized”.

“The handling of the drawings shows how urgently external expertise is needed when analyzing works for anti-Semitic (image) language,” they said about the documenta and Museum Fridericianum gGmbH.

They are supported by Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth. “It is good and right that the partners of the documenta have now asked the artistic direction to remove these drawings from the exhibition,” said the Greens politician in Berlin.

FDP demands temporary stop of the show

The FDP even called for the art show to be temporarily stopped. “The recent allegations of anti-Semitism reveal an abyss. The documenta must be interrupted immediately,” said FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai of the dpa in Berlin. The incidents would first have to be cleared up and the exhibition would have to be checked extensively for other anti-Semitic works and content.

The documenta, which alongside the Venice Biennale is one of the most important art exhibitions in the world, has been overshadowed by allegations of anti-Semitism since the beginning of the year. At that time there were first voices accusing the Indonesian curator collective Ruangrupa and some invited artists of being close to the anti-Israeli boycott movement BDS. Shortly after the opening of the exhibition in mid-June, a banner with anti-Semitic imagery was discovered and taken down.

In the debate about the processing of the incident and the dispute about how to proceed, the general director of the exhibition, Sabine Schormann, had to resign almost two weeks ago. Alexander Farenholtz was appointed as interim managing director. The documenta supervisory board around the chairman, Kassel’s mayor Christian Geselle (SPD), and his deputy, Hesse’s art minister Angela Dorn (Greens), also decided that the exhibition should be fundamentally reformed with the help of external experts.

Shortly after taking office, however, Farenholtz emphasized that a corresponding expert committee could make recommendations and advice, but that there would be no examination of the remaining works of art. Under no circumstances should the impression be given that the scientific monitoring will introduce a supervisory authority, he emphasized last week.

documenta rejects allegations

This Wednesday, the research and information center for anti-Semitism in Hesse pointed to further anti-Semitic work. These are representations in a brochure that was published in Algiers in 1988. The included drawings by the Syrian artist Burhan Karkoutly show soldiers with Star of David on their helmets as robots with bared teeth. In another picture, a woman defends herself against an Israeli soldier with an oversized hooked nose.

The documenta rejected the allegations. The historical archive material was temporarily removed from the exhibition around three weeks ago in order to examine it more closely. “According to the investigation, while there is a clear reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there is no depiction of Jews ‘as such,'” it said in a statement. The work was classified as not relevant under criminal law.

The shareholders explained that the immediate legal assessment of the drawings by external parties was the right step, but criticized that the question of whether anti-Semitic imagery was involved was unfortunately “only assessed internally”. “Failed to provide appropriate contextualization and inform the visitor of the outcome of the clarification.” These events, they emphasized, did not take place under the responsibility of interim managing director Alexander Farenholtz. “We thank Mr. Farenholtz that he now wants to make up for these omissions.”

Claudia Roth: Take expertise seriously

The handling of these drawings before Farenholtz took office shows again “how important and necessary it is for an external committee of experts to analyze and classify the works shown at the documenta in relation to possible anti-Semitic visual language,” explained Minister of State Roth . “This expertise should then be taken very seriously by those responsible for the documenta.”

On the other hand, the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, raised serious allegations against the new documenta management. For weeks, the country has been discussing anti-Semitism, the anti-Israeli boycott movement BDS and hatred of Israel. “The management of the documenta continues to act as if it were none of their business. Obviously, it doesn’t matter who is in charge there,” he said, according to a statement on Thursday.

One has to ask oneself “how far along are we in Germany if these pictures can be considered good as alleged ‘Israel criticism'”. The silence of those responsible in cultural policy on this is booming. “This documenta will go down in history as an anti-Semitic art show.” Even the words of the Federal President at the opening obviously did not lead to any insight. “It’s hard to imagine that this documenta can really run until September 25,” emphasized Schuster. (dpa)

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