Documenta 14 Kassel

The Parthenon of books, Marta Minujín

Documenta 14 Kassel, closing weekend (14-17 sept 2017)

Today I’ve met some very nice people from Argentina, Poland, South Corea, China and Serbia, so that’s why this story is in English.

I’m in Kassel, once every five years this is the place where once every five years one of the most prestigious art exhibitions is being held. This year the exhibition is curated by Adam Szymczyk, a Polish born art curator and criticist.  

Wir (alle) sind das Volk, Hans Haacke

For me one of the most connecting works is the work of Hans Haacke, ‘Wir (alle) sind das Volk’. For we are the people should have been enough, the addition of (all) is imposing that the normal sentence ‘We are the people’ is nót including everyone. And in currently devided Europe with a lot of migration questions this might be the case. We all are the people, but not ‘them’.

Most of the art works which I’ve seen during the last few days have a more or less pregnant relationship to that them of belonging or not belonging. In that sense Marta Minujín’s, ‘The Parthenon of Books’ is oftenly called ‘The Parthenon of forbidden Books’. The Parthenon was the building which was a Greek temple, whereas the Greek where on the basis of current democratic systems. Minujín’s Parthenon is built with pillars filled with forbidden books, books which are forbidden somewhere in our world. And in that sense it’s a contradictio in terminis, the symbol for democracy built out of forbidden books. 

Beingsafeisscary, Banu Cennetoğlu

It’s on the same theme is the Fridericianum now has a new title on it’s façade. Where in earlier days the name of the building was, is now the sentence ‘Being safe is scary’. And it’s there in a way that you wouldn’t notice when you walked by. A lot of art works in the town of Kassel hav the same effect. If you were not watching you wouldn’t notice. 

This is maybe the story that Szymczyk is trying to tell us. Be aware, and watch around you. Feel safe, but also be open. That is why he shocked the German town of Kassel by taking a part of the Documenta to Greece. The country in Europe which is most criticized for their financial status and is put under a very high pressure to clean up their economy. In the end this years Documenta will end with a deficit of an unprecedented 7 million Euro’s. while Szymczyk’s comment on this deficit is ‘You chose me, you chose my plans, and now you live with the consequence’s. 

Dimitris Tzamouranis, 36° 45 ́N—021° 56 ́E

As I’ve understood Kassels’ politics is now making a lot of efforts to never have taken the Documenta somewhere else than in Kassel, And that is just what Szynczyk was trying to point out. ‘Don’t act as if Documenta is yours to own, it’s the world’s to own’. And maybe when he would not have presented the community of Kassel with a deficit of this big he would have proven his statement. 


But enough said on this theme. Let’s talk about art. Art with a capital A. Because that’s what we are talking about. All the politics left aside, Szymczyk presented with his team an Documenta which has proven to be unforgotten, because of all the discussions around it, the controversies, but also because of the actuality. The theme of migration, the theme of not being free is to be felt in the middle of all exhibitions. Whereas in the Fridericianum we are presented with a big army tank built up of playing cushions, a house completely built out of barbed wire, a tent with embroidered names of cities destroyed by Israel, a list of names of people who are killed while crossing the Mexican border with the USA, and a video of Turkish soldiers being spoken to in a full stadium as if they are the heroes of our time.

Shelter, Andreas Lolis

I am confronted with the constant feeling of distance from me to the themes being presented. I’m free, I’m free to be here, I’m free to walk out, and walk away. 
That’s what is the meaning of It’s scary to be safe. I’m safe, I’m free, but am I, or am I just living in my own imaginary bubble of safety, and am I just as trapped inside my house surrounded by barbed wire, and protected with alarm systems, as the ones who are outside, and having the same feeling of distance between me and them.

I do not want to be closed, I do not want to be protective and narrow minded, so what’s keeping me from letting guards down, shut my alarm systems down, get rid of the barbed wire and welcome in everyone.


All things considered, the Documenta 14 was very inspiring, although there is a lot of discussion about the artistic value, the money, the idea to split Documenta in to two exhibition spaces. The statement that Szymczyk is making that everyone is included, which is also including the country of Greece, which has been the poor performing child of Europe. This Documenta will go in to history as a discutabel version, in which the message of Szymczyk was a bigger thing than the art itself. And that in itself is Art with a capital A.

Pile o' Sápmi, Máret Ánne Sara

Untitled, Stephen Antonakos

The coming down of the Parthenon of Books