What is an art exhibition document, and what is its significance? – ARTnews.com

Earlier this week, the international art world descended upon Kassel, Germany again for this year’s edition of Documenta, a recurring art exhibition with major influence on artists, curators, dealers, critics and more. Curated by Indonesian group Ruangrupa, the shows are set to be offbeat and experimental, and exactly what the exhibition holds is still unfolding.

But what is Documenta, and why does the art world care so much about it? Below is a guide to one of the world’s most famous art galleries, the many controversies, and the many oddities that have accompanied it.

What exactly is Documenta?

Most in the art world would say it is one of the most important frequent exhibitions ever held anywhere. Organized every five years in Kassel, Germany, it is in great esteem among artists, curators, and art historians, although perhaps not, among collectors and dealers, since its shows tend to be more academically skewed and less market-friendly than what appears in the Biennale. Venice in Italy.

The spirit that guides Documenta is often imbued with a kind of quirkiness that is lacking in other, more illustrious biennials. Often hidden in obscurity, his artist slate is often dropped just days before the show opens.

The curators chosen to lead Documenta typically work in an experimental context, with unconventional presentation structures and an emphasis on conceptual art in later editions. In the past decade the curators of Documenta have also taken on a global focus, making it their prerogative to look beyond Europe for their artist rosters.

So, what makes Documenta so important, anyway?

The answer to this question will vary greatly, depending on the person, but nearly everyone will agree that Documenta is a display of progressive thinking that influences curators and historians.

The first few editions of Documenta are credited with promoting the international image of movements such as Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, and Conceptualism. Catherine David Documenta X, since 1997, is fondly remembered for hosting digital art projects on her website before this sort of thing became the norm in biennials. Since 2002, Okwui Enwezor Documenta 11 has begun a detour towards a global perspective that is still felt in the art world. Adam Szymczyk’s Documenta 14 has, since 2017, primarily focused on Aboriginal art that has spread to other biennials in the years since.

In addition to pushing international biennials in new directions, Documenta tends to bring new characters to the canon. As a result, artists whose work was previously unknown to the international art world could gain more attention and begin to appear in museums.

Castle Schleib. Is the trip worth it?

yes. The Documenta is a huge show, with 32 venues planned for the 2022 edition, including the Fridericianum, the largest museum in Kassel and one of the oldest in Europe. And somehow, it could be worse: Documenta 14, which took place in 2017, has spread to both Kassel and Athens, making it difficult to watch the entire show. The 2012 film Documenta 13, organized by Caroline Christoph Bakarjev, included parts in Kabul, Afghanistan; Cairo and Alexandria in Egypt; Banff, Canada.

The good news is that once every decade, the Venice Biennale and Documenta meet. Because the pandemic has forced the Venice Biennale to be postponed for a year, that show and Documenta are taking place at the same time again. All this not to mention that the Berlin Biennale 2022 has also lined up with Documenta and this year’s Biennale.

Who can supervise Documenta?

Almost every release was managed by a single person chosen by the selection committee. This person then selects other coordinators to work on a team that ultimately helps organize the show. Although the Technical Director of each release tends to get the most attention, the sites on the curating team are also desirable posts, and getting one can be a career feat. In 2014, art newspaper She stated that the technical director earns about 100,000 euros annually.

For a long time, the Documenta was a boycott of white Europeans, many of whom were men, and so was considered a pioneer when, in 1997, Catherine David became the first woman to oversee a version of the show. The next edition, in 2002, was run by Okwui Enwezor, who remains the only black, and only African-born, coordinator of the Documenta edition.

The 2022 edition is sponsored by the Indonesian group Ruangrupa, which is the first group of artists to have organized an edition of Documenta. (This isn’t the first time the Documenta has been organized by so many people—that would be in 1968, when a 24-person council divided the leadership.) Ruangrupa is also the only group or person from Asia who does the Documenta format. As of 2022, there has never been a Latin American, Latinx, or Indigenous Art Director for Documenta.

Who will be in Documenta?

There is no specific mandate for who will be on Documenta, which is up to the discretion of the Art Director. Where Documenta differs from most other biennials is that most of the selected artists are relatively less well known in Europe. But this does not always mean that they are in the early stages of their career. Many of Documenta’s dead artists were shown years after their deaths, and some of the participants are late-career artists who continue to achieve greater recognition as a result of exhibiting there. Generally, artists are given two years to craft their projects in Documenta.

Who funds Documenta?

German taxpayer money mainly helps to hold the country’s most important art fair. Budgets for each edition vary widely, although the 2022 edition was awarded €42 million (equivalent to $51 million when initially announced), the largest amount allocated to a Documenta show to date.

Why is Documenta held in Kassel?

Kassel is not Venice, and to those who live outside Germany, it may seem a little vague as to why the art world has flocked there for five years. In the end, it all goes back to history. Documenta was founded by art historian Arnold Bode, who was based in Kassel, and planned to release the first edition to coincide with the itinerant biennale dedicated to landscapers known, among other things, for its rich displays of flowers. In 1955, the year of the first documenta, the Bundesgartenschau was held in Kassel.

How did the first Documenta originate?

The first Documenta, from 1955, was shown a decade after World War II, which left Germany in shambles. The specter of Nazism continued to haunt the nation, and at the time, the last major exhibition of modern art was “Dissolved Art”, a show organized by the Nazi Party with the goal of portraying the avant-garde as politically backward and potentially harmful to German society. Seeking to help Germany rehabilitate itself, Budd sought to organize an exhibition that “reveals the roots of contemporary art in all fields,” as he puts it.

The show of 168 artists raised the bar for modern art once despised in Germany, claiming the continued relevance of figures such as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Ernst-Ludwig Kirchner, and more. Almost all of the artists were white men, although women such as Sophie Tyber Arp and Paula Moderson-Becker were included. (The imbalance between gender and race persisted for many years, and once prompted the Guerrilla Girls to question in 1987 why the Documenta that year was 95 percent white and 83 percent male.) in 100 days.

Documenta 2, in 1959, was even larger, with 339 artists and 1,770 works. Since then, the show has continued to grow in size – and attendance numbers have also continued to rise.

What else should I know about the history of Documenta?

There has been a great deal of recent scholarship surrounding Documenta and the occult politics present on the show. The most explosive revelation that resulted from this research was the news that art historian Werner Haftmann, a consultant who consulted with Budd on the first few editions, was a member of the SA, the Nazi paramilitary wing. A 2021 exhibition on the history of the Documenta at the German Historical Museum in Berlin confirmed that other early chancellors also established links to Nazism.

This show also explored the role that Documenta played in shaping world politics, most notably by advancing American-led movements such as Abstract Expressionism in editions such as Documenta 2. The next edition also featured an organization that received CIA funding. Lars Pang Larsen, Curator, Tell artnet news “Documenta was in its early years part of a geopolitical battle and a cultural battle.”

Are there other documenta controversies that I should be aware of?

Yes, maybe too much, because each version comes with an addition or two (or three, or four, or even more, sometimes). Documenta 14, for example, has faced allegations from all sides that its regulators severely mismanaged funding. (The curators denied this.) Documenta 15, current, is currently in the midst of controversy over the inclusion of a Palestinian group, which some Jewish groups have interpreted as anti-Semitic. (The curators also denied this.)

In short, there are a lot of naughty people to round it up here. Thank God, Documenta has Detailed dates for each edition are on its website.

The Venice Biennale was awarded the Golden Lion. Is Documenta giving out its own prize?

Documenta awards the Arnold Bode Prize, although it comes with much less influence (though with more money) than the Golden Lion. The award is given technically from the city of Kassel, and the award comes in at only €10,000. (There is no cash prize for the Golden Lion.) Awarded twice annually and during each edition of Documenta, with previous winners including Hans Haacke, Olu Oguibe and Gerhard Richter.

Is the art in Documenta for sale?

Documenta is not a sale gallery, so the work cannot be purchased in the traditional sense by contacting a Documenta representative, as is the case for an exhibition at a gallery such as Art Basel. However, the Art Basel opening often overlaps with – or takes place in the vicinity of – Documenta, which means that dealers will try to use the momentum gained from participating in this show to promote the works in the gallery.

What is the cost of attending Documenta?

In 2022, a full-priced one-day adult ticket cost €27 ($28). This ticket includes access to local transportation, which comes in handy when you’re trying to get to dozens of places. But Documenta is too big to see it all in one day, so the show also offers a two-day option for €45 ($47).