70th birthday of the documenta celebrated with a ceremony

The documenta in Kassel celebrated its 70th birthday with a ceremony. The anniversary is a moment of pride and appreciation, said Documenta gGmbH, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Kassel’s Mayor Sven Schoeller (Greens). « The documenta was never comfortable, » he emphasized in front of around 1,100 guests in Kassel. At no time was she decoration. «She was and she is a place of thinking and acting with the means of art. A place of searching, arguing, dealing with the time we live in. »

Every documenta not only accompanied its time, but also asked – artistically, socially and politically. « In every edition of the documenta, a moment of world history is condensed, made visible by art. » The last of massive international anti-Semitism discussions overshadowed Documenta in 2022 was a turning point in a special way. « We started a comprehensive processing and changes and were ready to learn from these findings. » Now a look at the future.

Confident look at upcoming documenta

The curator of the upcoming Documenta 16, the American Naomi Beckwith, has an attitude that does not think of art in opposition to society, but as its productive part, said Schoeller. Beckwith is the deputy director and chief curator of the New York Guggenheim Museum. Your access combines historical precision with social foresight. « And that gives confidence. » Confidence on a documenta that build the bridges without negating conflicts, making the positions visible without any way.

« A documenta without controversy would not be a documenta, » said Hesse’s Minister of Art Timon Gremmels (SPD), who is also Documenta’s deputy chairman of the supervisory board. The show was never comfortable, that is exactly what makes it valuable than ever. At the same time, it was clear that the freedom of art ends where it becomes the stage for group -related misanthropy. Human dignity is inviolable.

Gremmels: Art can change society

The freedom of art, science, research and teaching is not a matter of course, emphasized Gremmels. It is threatened by authoritarian regimes, ideologues and violence. «There are already in our society in parliaments that want to get art, when they want to take power from the right, to art. That will be the first to fall – freedom of art and freedom of culture and freedom of science, »warned Gremmels. That is why every documenta is also a sign against such ideas. « Art and culture have to be free, » emphasized Gremmels. Art could change society.

The Documenta, founded by Arnold Bode, was first opened in Kassel on July 15, 1955. The show, which is considered the most important exhibition for contemporary art in addition to the Venice Biennale, traditionally takes place every five years and lasts 100 days each. The 16th edition is planned for the period from June 12 to September 19, 2027.