Documenta 16 has recently announced that it will hold its next edition in 2027. However, the artistic director will not have a code of conduct installed despite recommendations made by Documenta’s appointed expert advisory panel. This decision was made following an incident of antisemitism during the previous iteration of the event.
The exhibition’s past artistic directors recommended a six-member finding committee of international curators to search for its 16th iteration.
Documenta has announced that the exhibition and the Fridericianum Museum will establish their own codes of conduct. However, the artistic director will not be bound by these codes. Nonetheless, the artistic director will be expected to deliver a public speech explaining their curatorial theme and confirming their commitment to respecting human dignity.
What happened before?
In November 2023, the committee responsible for selecting an artistic director for the upcoming edition of Documenta hit another setback. After two members left the committee earlier, the remaining four members have also resigned.
Documenta said that four members—Simon Njami, Gong Yan, Kathrin Rhomberg, and María Inés Rodríguez—had resigned after what the exhibition called “an extremely difficult decision-making process.”
Their departures follow those of Israeli artist and philosopher Bracha L. Ettinger and Indian poet and critic Ranjit Hoskote, who resigned earlier.
Ettinger cited the inability to attend in-person meetings after the October 7 Hamas attack and the “dark times” facing her home country as reasons for leaving the committee.
Hoskote had been denounced by Documenta for signing a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions letter that compared Zionism to Hindu nationalism in India. Documenta called that letter “anti-Semitic.” Hoskote said in his resignation letter, “It is clear to me that there is no room, in this toxic atmosphere, for a nuanced discussion of the issues at stake.”
Last year, there was a lot of speculation about the future of Documenta, an art exhibition that takes place once every five years in Kassel, Germany. The exhibition was criticized for featuring works that many said depicted anti-Semitic stereotypes. Additionally, some Jewish groups felt that the show had given preference to Palestinian artists over Israeli ones. The exhibition’s controversy became so intense that it went beyond Kassel’s borders, with several German politicians, including Culture Minister Claudia Roth, threatening to withdraw support from Documenta.
A written statement by Documenta said it had considered putting the process of selecting an artistic director on hold altogether “due to the special world situation following the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel.” The exhibition statement also said it had contemplated bringing on two new members to replace Hoskote and Ettinger, and continuing on from there. But neither plan was enacted because the four other members resigned on Nov 16, Documenta wrote.
Speaking of the resignations, Documenta said in a statement that it “respects this decision and thanks everyone involved for their commitment.” The exhibition promised a total redesign of the selection committee, but did not provide an update on whether Documenta 16 would still occur in 2027 as planned.
