Ever since the first Documenta opened in 1955, the Federal President's appearance there has been nothing more than a ceremonial formality with which the Federal Republic of Germany officially acknowledged the importance of artistic freedom.

Everything was different this time.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier could not ignore the debate that had been raging for months about whether the organizers of the Documenta were promoting anti-Semitism.

At the very moment when curators from non-Western countries were directing the documenta for the first time, his speech became a rebuke of "all those who use art for their political messages".

According to Steinmeier, where criticism of Israel turns “into questioning its existence”, the limit has been crossed: “For us, the recognition of Israel is the basis and prerequisite for the debate”.

In essence, this word of power from politicians on art means: If someone does not agree to Israel's right to exist when asked, they are not allowed to curate an exhibition in this country.

Since this commitment could not be obtained from the Documenta management, despite all the rejection of accusations of anti-Semitism (because, according to the defenders of the collective, the members then had considerable problems at home in Indonesia, a country that had broken off relations with Israel would get), it would follow that they shouldn't have been allowed to curate the documenta at all.

Steinmeier's statement goes on to say that given Germany's historical responsibility towards Israel, certain views of the global South must not be represented in this country.

The magazine "Monopol" criticized this as "scandalous", as an update of colonial speech bans.

All will be damaged

Steinmeier's speech suggests that numerous anti-Israel positions can be found in Kassel.

At the same time, there is not a single work in the entire documenta, in which more than a thousand artists take part, that questions Israel's right to exist, and according to our review so far only one whose depiction of Israel can be found outrageous, Mohammed Al Hawajri's "Guernica Gaza".

There are many exhibitions where Israeli art is not represented;

the suspicion of a connection with the boycott demands of the BDS can no longer be dispelled in Kassel.

However, when the Bild newspaper headlines that Steinmeier is opening the "Art Fair of Shame" (as if it were the "Degenerate Art" exhibition) of a group that is "cunning with hatred of Israel," then that is also a worrying one Form of suggestive racism towards a collective from which no anti-Semitic sentence was heard.

The depressing realization is that all participants leave this documenta damaged.

What started as an attempt to give the “Global South” a voice has taken a disastrous turn.

In its more recent editions, the documenta primarily wanted to show art that reflects on political issues.

This time, a conflict that lies outside of art and cannot be solved by it is getting over her head.