Kassel: documenta will be transformed from a crisis situation into a role model.

The Artistic and Creative Life Style - Kassel: documenta will be transformed from a crisis situation into a role model.

Following the controversy over antisemitism during the youngest documenta, the major art exhibition in Kassel will set the precedent for tackling this issue. "We aim to create a demonstration out of the crisis," said Culture Minister Timon Gremmels during a meeting with the Culture Committee of the Bundestag on Wednesday. This is not only about documenta, "but rather the query: How can Germany still organize international exhibitions with worldwide impact?"

No official date for the next documenta

Gremmels cited the selection committee for the artistic direction as an example. This committee should also embody diversity. Gremmels declared that the committee would be unveiled soon and choose an artistic leadership by the end of the year. They would then have two and a half years to plan the documenta. The documenta, along with the Venice Biennale, is regarded as one of the most critical shows for contemporary art. The 16th edition is slated from June 12 to September 19, 2027.

Yet, Gremmels cautioned, "The date is not set in stone – we're striving for a successful documenta." It could potentially be a year later. It's more crucial to demonstrate that modern art is feasible and feasible in the face of the challenging times we'll likely still face in 2027.

The chairperson of the documenta-Gesellschaft's supervisory board, Kassel's Mayor Sven Schoeller, referred to the artistic liberty enshrined in the German Constitution during questioning in the committee. "The documenta, like any equivalent exhibition in Germany, upholds the artistic freedom tenet," asserted the Green politico. Restrictions arise from conflicting rights and values enshrined in the German Constitution. The safeguarding of human dignity, for example, isn't consistent with antisemitism.

Feeling powerless and absence of dialogue

According to Schoeller, the structural reform has now resulted in "a well-equipped toolkit for addressing antisemitic statements." Schoeller emphasized that in such instances, it's less about approving or rejecting a work of art and more about contextualizing it. Schoeller and Gremmels both underscored the centrality of contextualization. The most recent documenta was marred by "helplessness and, above all, a lack of dialogue," Schoeller said.

Culture State Minister Claudia Roth, whose party will have two voting rights on the twelve-member supervisory board in the future, criticized the insufficiency of regulations in the cultural funding law in the fight against antisemitism. The Green politician underlined, "What's more critical than regulations set in the cultural funding law in the battle against antisemitism is a much clearer and universally supported position from the cultural sector."

Read also:

1. Timon Gremmels, the Culture Minister of Hesse, highlighted the importance of addressing antisemitism in the context of Germany's cultural policy during an Anti-Semitism debate in the Bundestag.
2. Gremmels mentioned the upcoming Art exhibition in Kassel, the Art exhibition being documenta, as an opportunity for Germany to demonstrate its commitment to organizing international exhibitions that promote contemporary art, particularly in the face of such challenges.
3. Gremmels also emphasized that the selection committee for the artistic direction of the documenta in Hesse would represent diversity and stated their plan to reveal the committee soon and select an artistic leadership by the end of the year.
4. In Berlin, Claudia Roth, Culture State Minister from the SPD, criticized the lack of regulatory provisions in the cultural funding law for effectively combating antisemitism and called for a stronger and more universally supported position from the cultural sector.
5. Schoeller and Gremmels both emphasized the importance of contextualization in handling antisemitic statements, citing the recent documenta exhibition in Kassel as an example of where a lack of dialogue and understanding led to feelings of helplessness and misunderstanding among attendees.

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