Documenta Releases Controversial Code of Conduct
By ANNETTE MEIER
Exterior view of the Fridericianum facade, one of Documenta’s exhibition venues in Kassel. Courtesy Documenta.
Nearly two months after Documenta announced Naomi Beckwith as the artistic director of its 16th edition, the scandal-ridden event is once again facing backlash, this time for its new code of conduct that includes a contentious definition of antisemitism.
In response to the antisemitism allegations from Documenta’s turbulent 2022 edition, the code has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. Applicable to the entire organization, including employees, exhibitions, and other third-party entities affiliated with the exhibition, it aims to ensure “tolerance and respect for human dignity” in its forthcoming installment.
The new regulations enable Documenta to interfere with the contents of the exhibited artworks if the supervisory board deems any “artistic forms of expression to be in conflict with [its] principles.” Code violations “will be pursued . . . using the relevant disciplinary and labor law instruments.”
Many have condemned the code, fearing that it will be used to censor pro-Palestine artists while suppressing legitimate criticism of the Israeli government, as the IHRA definition considers “[d]enying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of the State of Israel is a racist endeavor” a form of antisemitism.
Documenta’s new code of conduct signals growing concerns over cultural censorship in Germany. Last November, the German parliament passed a controversial resolution that curbs state funding for any art and cultural projects with “antisemitic aims and content.” The repercussions were immediate: in Karlsruhe, British artist James Bridle lost a major architecture award for signing an open letter pledging to boycott Israeli cultural institutions.
The quinquennial exhibition is slated to open in 2027 in Kassel, central Germany.
Annette Meier is an editorial assistant at ArtAsiaPacific.
