The art collectives responsible for anti-Semitic depictions during the documenta have apologized.

"We apologize for the pain and fear that the anti-Semitic elements in the figures and drawings have caused in all those who saw them on the spot or in the media coverage reproductions," said Ade Darmawan of the Ruangrupa curating collective on Wednesday in the culture committee of the Bundestag.

After the opening in mid-June, the most important exhibition for contemporary art after the Venice Biennale featured an anti-Semitic imagery.

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“No silent boycott against Israelis or even Jews”

The artists' curatorial approach is not a "classical, authoritarian approach that exerts full control over the elements of the work in the creation of the exhibition," Darmawan said.

This could lead to works that might surprise the curators themselves.

He denied accusations that the exhibition excludes Israeli artists.

"There is no such thing as a silent boycott of Israelis or even Jews," Darmawan said.

Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) accused those responsible for the documenta of failure in planning and organization.

For months, the Documenta had personally assured her that there was no place for anti-Semitism, said the Minister of State for Culture at the public meeting of the Committee on Culture and the Media on Wednesday in Berlin.

"By trusting that, I defended the documenta against attacks and protected its freedom." However, the limits of artistic freedom had been overstepped here, according to Roth.

She spoke of unclear responsibilities and a lack of international expertise at the Documenta.

In addition, the project process was not well supported.

"That would have meant agreeing on where human dignity sets its limits." In an interview with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", Claudia Roth had defended the documenta against allegations of anti-Semitism after Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) called those responsible criticized the exhibition for precisely this reason.

The "Jewish General" had called for Claudia Roth's resignation.

The managing director of the Central Council of Jews, Daniel Botmann, criticized the behavior of the Documenta management after the incidents and named the Documenta general director Sabine Schormann and Kassel's mayor Christian Geselle (SPD).

"The fact that Ms Schormann is still in office is unreasonable," said Botmann.

The Documenta Fifteen was never a pleasant affair for the Jewish community: "In the beginning there were a lot of questions, then came the anger and finally the horror." own resentments ready.

The Hessian Minister of Art Angela Dorn (Greens) criticized that Ruangrupa's apology was made too late.

A collective of curators apparently meant that the care and responsibility of curating suffered.