- documenta
The Supervisory Board and the partners of documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH, the State of Hesse and the City of Kassel, would like to thank the scientific experts appointed by the documenta partners to investigate the anti-Semitic incidents at documenta fifteen for their initial analysis and the work carried out to date. The partners agree with the vote of the scholars that the Tokyo Reels by the Subversive Films collective should no longer be shown, at least until an appropriate contextualization has been undertaken. The current commentary on the films is not suitable for this, as it does not historically classify the propaganda films, some of which are anti-Semitic and glorify terrorist violence.
The freedom of art is a valuable asset and the exclusive artistic responsibility of documenta fifteen lies with ruangrupa. However, the curators refuse to accept the responsibility this entails or to engage in self-critical reflection on the events. On the contrary, they accuse the academically broad-based and renowned panel of experts with its interdisciplinary expertise of racism and unscientific approach. We reject these accusations in the strongest possible terms.
We regret and criticize the fact that the Artistic Direction insists on continuing the screening of Tokyo Reels by the Subversive Films collective, contrary to the advice of the Scientific Advisory Board and the urgent recommendation of the shareholders, without a critical assessment of the anti-Semitic and violence-glorifying content. The Supervisory Board and the partners consider it necessary to provide visitors to documenta with such a classification. We therefore ask the Artistic Direction to make the unanimous assessment of the expert scientific support visible in the exhibition in addition to its own contextualization. Alternatively, the partners reserve the right to make this information available to visitors outside the exhibition rooms in the public space at the entrance to the screening venues.