After first covering up an artwork deemed to include antisemitic depictions, Documenta organizers have pulled down the controversial banner by artist collective Taring Padi.
The large mural was taken down Tuesday after outcry over antisemitic elements represented in the pieceImage: Uwe Zucchi/dpa/picture alliance
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On Tuesday evening in Kassel, Germany, where the Documenta international contemporary art exhibition is taking place, the contentious mural "People's Justice" was taken down amid booing, whistling and clapping from spectators.
The work by the Indonesian art collective Taring Padi, originally exhibited in 2002 in Australia, features a soldier-like figure depicted as a pig wearing a scarf with a Star of David and a helmet bearing the word "Mossad" — the name of Israel's national intelligence agency.
Antisemitic tropes are evident in another figure depicted in the work as well. That figure, wearing a black hat with a runic Nazi "SS" insignia, has sidelocks — like those associated with Orthodox Jews — fangs and bloodshot eyes.
The removal of the artwork was "overdue" and "is only a first step … more must follow," said Germany's State Minister for Culture and the Media Claudia Roth, in a statement. She questioned "how it was possible for this mural with antisemitic figurative elements to be installed."
"Antisemitic depictions must have no place in Germany, not even in an art show with a global scope," said Documenta Director Sabine Schormann in a statement published Tuesday as "People's Justice" was being taken down. The Association of Jewish Communities in the State of Lower Saxony has meanwhile demanded that exhibition director Schormann resign from her position, according to media reports.
The offending images included a soldier depicted as a pig wearing a scarf with a Star of David, symbol of the State of IsraelImage: Uwe Zucchi/dpa/picture alliance
Covering artwork not enough
Outrage over the piece became quickly audible after the exhibition officially opened on Saturday. On Monday, it was concealed with black cloth and an explanatory statement. This, however, was deemed unacceptable by Jewish community groups.
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"Attaching a footnote is absurd," said Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, in southern Germany.
Sabine Schormann joined Documenta curators from the Indonesian art collective Ruangrupa to "explicitly apologize" for not recognizing the antisemitic depictions before the artwork was installed.
The Israeli Embassy in Germany stated that it was "digusted by the antisemitic elements publicly displayed" at the exhibition, adding that parts of were, "reminiscent of propaganda used by Goebbels and his goons during darker times in German history."
'Where artistic freedom ends'
Antisemitism researcher Wolfgang Benz, the former director of the Center for Research on Antisemitism (ZfA) at the Technical University of Berlin, criticized Documenta organizers for giving too much control to its guest curators.
"Out of political and historical responsibility, I would check whether something in this exhibition violates human rights, whether something offends Jews or other minorities," he told the Tagespiegel daily newspaper.
"Artistic freedom ends," he added, when an artwork violates those considerations.
Kassel Mayor Christian Geselle said he was ashamed of the incident, "Something that was not supposed to happen, has." Angela Dorn-Rancke, state minister for higher education, research, science and the arts for the state of Hesse — where Kassel is located — said, "I am angry, I am disappointed." She also said the incident would damage documenta's reputation.
Others have questioned why Israeli artists are not participating at the art show.
"It is striking that apparently no Jewish artists or artists from Israel are represented at this major exhibition of contemporary art," said German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the opening of Documenta 15.
Steinmeier was refering indirectly to an earlier controversyregarding the participation in Kassel of Palestinian artist group, A Question of Funding, which was accused of having links to the BDS boycott Israel movement.
After being initially covered up, the mural was removed entirely on day four of the high-profile international exhibitionImage: Uwe Zucchi/dpa/picture alliance
Indonesian artist-curators hope to continue dialogue
Meanwhile, Documenta Director Sabine Schormann reiterated that antisemitic depictions were a red line for her, despite an "understanding for the concerns of the Global South and the visual language used there."
The artists of the Indonesian Taring Padi collective apologized for the "hurt caused," and on Monday said the work was, "not meant to be related in any way to antisemitism." Instead, it was "part of a campaign against militarism and the violence we experienced during Suharto's 32-year military dictatorship in Indonesia."
Schormann and Documenta's curators, who invited 1,500 exhibitors, many from the Global South, say they hope to maintain a constructive dialogue at the five-yearly art exhibition.
"With respect for the diversity of cultural backgrounds, the dialogue that began with Documenta 15 will be continued," they said in a statement.
Art in Kassel, from documenta and beyond
Every five years, the documenta exhibition brings art to Kassel — and attracts many tourists. They can admire current and past works, as well as many other sights, some dating back centuries.
Image: picture alliance/dpa
ruruHaus: The 'living room' of documenta
The former department store with its striking facade is the epicenter for artists and visitors alike at this year's documenta. In the ruruHaus, artist collectives present themselves and events take place. Practical for visitors: From here, all other documenta venues can quickly be reached.
Image: Uwe Zucchi/dpa/picture alliance
'Lumbung' in time-honored setting
The Museum Fridericianum has often served as a central location for documenta. This year, the organizers of the group Ruangrupa redefined the historic building as a "lumbung." The term refers to buildings in Indonesia that are communal harvest storage sites and important village meeting places. The artists want to meet with visitors here for workshops and discussions, among other things.
Image: Sven Pförtner/dpa/picture alliance
Old clothes, electronic waste and garbage
Against the magnificent backdrop of the Orangerie in the Karlsaue Park, this installation draws attention to the dark side of consumer society. The walk-in work "Return to Sender" by Kenyan artist collective The Nest highlights environmental destruction in southern countries caused by the transport of garbage, electronic waste and textiles.
Image: Sven Pförtner/dpa/picture alliance
Illumination art in the city
The "Laserscape" installation at documenta 1977 was the world's first permanent laser light artwork — and it's still a nighttime landmark in Kassel. The beams connect the tower at the Museum Fridericianum, the Hercules Octagon and the Hessian State Museum, among other things. Definitely a "highlight" for the night owls among the visitors.
Image: imago stock&people
'7000 Oaks' for Kassel
Probably no other documenta work has changed Kassel as permanently as "7000 Oaks: City Forestation instead of City Administration" by Joseph Beuys. In 1982, he tipped 7,000 basalt stones onto a square in the city center. Over the next five years, he moved stone after stone to new locations. At each, an oak was planted, such along this path. Local residents and tourists take pleasure in it.
Image: Swen Pförtner/dpa/picture alliance
Bronze tree and granite boulders
The work "Idea di Pietra," by Giuseppe Penone, also addresses the coexistence of tree and stone. For documenta 13 in 2012, the Italian installed the skeleton of a tree, cast in bronze, in which a granite boulder is suspended. The nine-meter-high (29.5 ft) sculpture was purchased with donations by citizens of Kassel and now adorns the picturesque park landscape of the Karlsaue.
Image: picture alliance / dpa
The city wants to go to the top
Over the years some works of art develop a symbolism of their own. The sculpture "Man Walking to the Sky," by Jonathan Borofsky, is one example. In 1992 it was part of documenta 9, but it remained in Kassel afterward, becoming a symbol of recovery for many citizens at a moment of great change: Kassel had been close to the border between East and West Germany; today it's in the geographic center.
Image: picture-alliance/U. Zucchi
New landmark anchored in history
The gigantic pickaxe is also a documenta relic. Its creator, Claes Oldenburg, was inspired by a pickaxe found near the city's Orangerie and entertained the idea that the famous Hercules monument in Bergpark Wilhelmshöhre could have thrown it. Thus, for documenta 7 in 1982, Oldenburg created a new landmark: a twelve-meter rendition of the steel implement right on the bank of the Fulda River.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/U. Zucchi
Demigod with a view
This famous Hercules monument has been attracting visitors to Kassel for much longer than the documenta, which first took place in 1955. High above the city, the 8-meter (27 ft) representation of the demigod has been enthroned on a towering pyramid since the beginning of the 18th century. It looks out over Wilhelmshöhe Palace to downtown Kassel.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Pförtner
Water features attract visitors
The octagonal base upon which the Hercules monument sits is also the starting point of another attraction that drew curious visitors to Kassel long before the documenta: On Wednesdays, Sundays and public holidays from May to October, the baroque waterworks flowing down the hillside enchant visitors from all over the world — and have done so for more than three hundred years.
