The crisis began when an artwork containing anti-Semitic imagery was installed, covered up and then removed from the exhibition, which is held every five years in Kassel, Germany. The posting of the artwork, a huge piece containing a Jewish caricature, led to a loss of confidence in the event, Documenta’s board of directors said in a statement announcing Ms. Schorman’s departure. The board “considers it necessary to do everything possible to regain this trust,” the statement added. The council will convene a panel of experts on art, anti-Semitism and post-colonialism to determine what went wrong and decide whether there are other anti-Semitic images in the show, the statement said. Documenta is widely regarded as one of the most important events in the art world, rivaled only by the Venice Biennale. This year’s edition of Documenta, the 15th, is curated by ruangrupa, an Indonesian art collective, and features over 1,000 artists, mostly from the global south, hosting exhibitions and events. A team created a friendly nightclub for visitors. another built a sauna. Many of the exhibition spaces are intended to be places where visitors can participate in events and discuss social and political issues as much as looking at art. Siddhartha Mitter, reviewing Documenta for the New York Times, said that “possibilities open up everywhere in this show: ways of examining the past or sharing in the present that offer ground for hope. Strategies outside the constraints of the state and capitalist systems. and food for the citizens’ imagination”. Despite this recognition, Documenta was embroiled in controversy even before it opened. In January, a protest group called the Alliance Against Anti-Semitism Kassel accused ruangrupa and other artists of supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. In 2019, the German parliament declared this movement anti-Semitic, saying it challenged Israel’s right to exist. The accusations first appeared on a blog, but were picked up by German newspapers and politicians. In June, the outrage came to a head when Taring Padi, another Indonesian art collective, installed an artwork called “People’s Justice” in one of Kassel’s central squares. About 60 feet long, “People’s Justice,” originally created in 2002, is a political banner featuring cartoon depictions of activists struggling under Indonesia’s military rule. Among the multitude of figures is one that appears to be a Jewish caricature with sidelocks and fangs, wearing a cap with the Nazi “SS” insignia. The banner also contains a military figure, with a pig’s head, wearing a scarf with a Star of David and on its helmet the word “Mossad”, the name of Israel’s security agency. (This number appears next to soldiers identified as members of other intelligence forces, including the KGB) Claudia Roth, Germany’s culture minister, said in a statement at the time that “in my view, these are anti-Semitic images,” and the banner was criticized by prominent Jewish groups and the Israeli Embassy in Germany. The artwork was initially covered up and then removed, and both Taring Padi and ruangrupa apologized, but that didn’t end the controversy. Days later, Ms Roth said the festival needed to explain how the “blatantly anti-Semitic image” was posted in the first place, adding that Documenta needed “fundamental structural reform” if it was to receive future funding from the German government. On the same day, Ms. Schormann sought to distance herself from the controversy by saying in a press release that she was “not responsible” for Documenta’s artistic content. The report will be “reviewed for further critical projects,” the statement added. This project, he said, will be led by ruangrupa with the support of Meron Mendel, director of the Anne Frank Education Center in Frankfurt. Nor did these moves bring an end to the crisis, especially after Mr. Mendel stepped down from his role. Mr. Mendel said in a telephone interview last week, before Ms. Schormann’s resignation, that Documenta’s management team prevented him from starting his project. “They didn’t even send me half a piece of art to see,” he said. He had to contact the artists himself to talk about their work, as Documenta initially refused to put him in touch with them, he added. At least one Documenta artist has publicly admitted that he has lost faith in the event. On July 8, Hito Steyerl, one of the most prominent artists in the exhibition, pulled her work, saying in an email to Documenta that she had “no confidence” in the organization’s ability to deal with the controversy. Ms. Steyerl said in a telephone interview before Ms. Schormann’s resignation that the outrage prevented people from paying attention to the art. “Art is not even secondary – no one is talking about it right now,” Ms. Steyerl said. “So many people have worked for so long on this,” he added, “and by not addressing accusations of anti-Semitism—both justified and unjustified—in a decisive and transparent way, Documenta has let this debate overshadow everything else.” Documenta said in a statement on Saturday that it would appoint an interim general manager to replace Ms Schormann, but gave no timetable for that to happen.
