The anti-Semitism scandal at the Documenta in Kassel also occupies the Bundestag. At the most important exhibition for contemporary art after the Venice Biennale, a work with anti-Semitic imagery was discovered after the opening in mid-June.
The work “People’s Justice” by the Indonesian art collective Taring Padi was then taken down. Even before the opening, there were concerns about anti-Semitism against the curating collective Ruangrupa, which also comes from Indonesia.
Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens), Managing Director of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Daniel Botmann, Hessian Minister of Art Angela Dorn (Greens) and Documenta Director General Sabine Schormann will first report on the events this Wednesday in the Parliament’s Culture Committee. On Thursday, the Bundestag will debate the issue at the request of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
In its motion for a resolution, the Union urges “transparent and consistent answers” to the scandal. It was “completely incomprehensible that no personal consequences have been drawn so far,” said cultural policy spokeswoman Christiane Schenderlein about the application. “The intransigence of those responsible on site makes it difficult to deal honestly and ruthlessly.”
According to the application, the Union wants an independent investigative commission to be set up “that will identify bad planning, bad processes and wrong decisions and identify personal responsibilities”. The anti-Semitism commissioner should submit a report in which the scope and consequences of the scandal would be assessed.
Planning for the next Documenta in five years should be postponed until the scandal has been worked up and appropriate measures have been taken. The motion also provides for “making personnel consequences at the Documenta a condition for the further funding of the Documenta with federal funds”.
Roth has already called for changes to the structure of the Documenta. Basically, Berlin wants more influence, otherwise there should be no more money. The withdrawal of the federal government from the supervisory board in 2018 while sticking to federal funding is now rated as a “serious mistake”.
The chairman of the Documenta supervisory board, Kassel’s mayor Christian Geselle (SPD), rejects the federal government’s plans. Dorn, representing Hessen’s vice-president, supports Roth’s position to a large extent.
