After a series of scandals and loud accusations of anti-Semitism, the actual art exhibition is gradually beginning to spread its wings. The other day the artistic concept of the art show documenta 16 was presented.
Naomi Beckwith is the artistic director of documenta 16, deputy director and chief curator of the Guggenheim MuseumPhoto: Uwe Zucchi/dpa/picture alliance
On Tuesday, March 18, the artistic director of documenta 16, American Naomi Beckwith, presented the concept of the upcoming exhibition to the public. However, no specific names have been announced yet.
Naomi Beckwith promised that the art exhibition documenta 16 will be a meeting place for different opinions and cultures and will be filled with an atmosphere of mutual respect of all participants for each other. She also assured that under no circumstances will anti-Semitism, racism or any form of discrimination or violence be tolerated in Kassel.
Naomi BeckwithNaomi Beckwith
Naomi Beckwith has not yet outlined any of the program items for the exhibition, which is scheduled to take place in the summer of 2027.
Who will participate in documenta in 2027?
However, art critics were still able to draw their conclusions even on the basis of scarce information. And the first of them: Beckwith will behave extremely carefully, even though he wants the exhibition to be a platform for artistic discussion.
As FAZ columnist Stefan Trinks pointed out in his article, a couple of names were mentioned during the presentation, although the artist has not yet linked them to the concrete plans of documenta 16.
For example, Beckwith mentioned the American multimedia artist Kaulin Smith, whose exhibition at the Astrup-Fernli Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo in 2024 caused quite a sensation. According to Trinks, we can already assume that Smith’s name will be among the participants in documenta in 2027.
Why is everything so complicated with Documenta?
A scandal based on allegations of anti-Semitism accompanied the international exhibition documenta in 2022. The curators were harshly criticized for inviting artists who support the cultural boycott of Israel to the exhibition.
Both the works on display and the participating art groups were accused of anti-Semitism. The exhibition of contemporary art in 2022 was curated by the Indonesian art collective Ruangrupa. Already in the run-up to the exhibition, it was criticized for its closeness to the anti-Israel BDS movement, which is recognized as anti-Semitic in Germany.
Protests against Ruangrupa in 2022Protests against Ruangrupa in 2022
Protests against Ruangrupa and BDS in 2022Photo: Georg Wendt/dpa/picture alliance
As a result, the 15th documenta turned into a real anti-Semitic scandal already in the first days after the opening. In 2023, all members of the selection committee resigned. And then the German Minister of State for Culture and Media, Claudia Roth, questioned the federal government’s funding of the documenta.
However, the situation was resolved. The new management and the new curators promise that the next documenta will be a model of political correctness. The 16th international exhibition is scheduled to take place from June 12 to September 19, 2027.
