Exhibitions – Kassel – Documenta opens to trade visitors – Culture

Castle (dpa) – With the fifteenth document, Castle is transforming itself once again into an important center of the art world. Today, Wednesday, the so-called preview days of the most important exhibition of contemporary art after the Venice Biennale begin in the northern city of Hesse. Trade visitors and journalists have three days to explore the show before it officially opens for 100 days on Saturday.

The document takes place every five years. The fifteenth edition was designed by the group of Indonesian artist Ruangrupa. The group wants to focus on the Indonesian architecture for anemia. In the island nation, “lombong” is a word for a communal rice barn in which the surplus of the crop is stored for the benefit of the community. Ruangrupa wants to take this tradition of sharing to the World Art Fair in Kassel.

More than a thousand journalists are expected to attend a press conference at 11 am this Wednesday to mark the launch of Documenta 15. According to the organizers, more than 7,000 trade visitors from around the world have announced their attendance. The exhibition can be accessed from 10 am. 14 groups, organizations and institutions as well as 54 artists display their work in 32 locations.

Instead of big-name superstars, Ruangrupa mainly relies on groups and organizations from all over the world. Among the participants are a Danish organization that supports refugees with legal advice and language courses, a group from Bangladesh trying to avoid waste, and a beekeeper from Kassel.

What will appear? Director General of Documentation Sabine Schuermann recently declared that there is a lot of “pain”. Visitors can expect a diverse demo based on collective operations. “You will be able to experience Documenta’s fifteenth film as a sensory exhibition visit with – among other things – painting, installation, film or even music and performance.”

Document Fifteen was overshadowed by an anti-Semitic discussion. At the beginning of the year, the Ruangrupa Alliance was accused of including organizations that support the cultural boycott of Israel or are anti-Semitic in the parade. Ruangrupa and the document doc vehemently rejected the allegations. Later, the Central Council of Jews in Germany also participated. A series of discussions aimed at calming people has been cancelled. Since then, the participants, including Secretary of State for Culture Claudia Roth, have been struggling to find a balance between “anti-Semitism has no place in the document,” “artistic freedom is a central point” and “origin alone cannot determine what appears and what is not.” like that “.

The controversy clearly does not detract from the visitor’s interest: according to the document, 54,000 tickets were previously sold. A day ticket costs 27 euros. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Hessen State Prime Minister Boris Rhein and Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, Arif Havas Uigrosino, announced that they will attend the inauguration on Saturday. Documenta fifteen is open until September 25.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 220614-99-664003 / 3