Germany: Documenta director resigns after accusations of anti-Semitism
Managing Director Sabine Schormann at the opening press conference of Documenta 15, the world's largest contemporary art exhibition, in Kassel, Germany, on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. AP - Martin Meissner
Text by: RFI Follow
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Every five years, Documenta, in Kassel, Germany, is the unmissable event for contemporary art in the world.
The fifteenth edition, which opened its doors for three months in June, was mainly marked by controversy with accusations of anti-Semitism.
Its director has just resigned.
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With our correspondent in Berlin,
Pascal Thibaut
In a press release, the Documenta supervisory board distances itself from the anti-Semitic abuses observed and prematurely terminates the contract of the general manager, Sabine Schormann.
“
We regret that clearly anti-Semitic motives were presented at the opening of Documenta.
Any form of racism in art and culture must be fought.
Confidence in our exhibition has been damaged.
It is essential to learn the lessons of this incident
”.
The work of the Indonesian collective Taring Padi had sparked controversy.
In particular, there was a pig wearing a Star of David and a Mossad helmet, the Israeli secret service.
Several clearly anti-Semitic attributes of the mural had prompted organizers to cover the work after two days following protests from the Israeli Embassy and the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
1/ Botschaft des Staates Israel:
"Documenta fördert Propaganda im Goebbels-Stil"
Wir sind empört über die antisemitischen Elemente, die auf der derzeit in Kassel stattfindenden Documenta 15 öffentlich gezeigt werden.
pic.twitter.com/3VjETWZUK3
— Botschaft Israel (@IsraelinGermany) June 20, 2022
Even before Documenta, a controversy had arisen about a collective accused of supporting the BDS movement which advocates the boycott of Israeli products because of the policy pursued by the Jewish state in the Palestinian territories.
The German Parliament has condemned the movement as anti-Semitic, which excludes public funding.
Documenta's budget comes from the federal state and the Hesse region.
After this 15ᵉ edition, those responsible for the exhibition want to reform the structures to avoid new controversies in the future.
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To read also: Interview with Laurent Joly, historian: "La Rafle du Vel d'Hiv"
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