Critics and journalists have differing opinions on the allegations of anti-Semitism against documenta fifteen.
Kassel – Are there ardent enemies of Israel among those involved in documenta fifteen, as the Alliance Against Anti-Semitism (BGA) in Kassel claims? Art critics and cultural journalists are at odds. The discussion about allegations of anti-Semitism against the documenta in Kassel* is already spreading.
The editor-in-chief of the magazine “Monopol”, Elke Buhr, considers the debate to be “very depressing” because it was “media inflated”, as she said on Deutschlandradio. As soon as the term BDS (for boycott, divestment, sanctions) was mentioned, everyone got on the same track. That makes dialogue impossible. BDS is a buzzword to discredit people. It is a mistake to think that anyone who does not speak out against BDS is automatically anti-Semitic. Last but not least, many Jewish cultural workers also protested against the Bundestag resolution condemning BDS. If all artists from Arab or Islamic countries who have a critical attitude towards the state of Israel were excluded, “then you can’t do such exhibitions”.
Anti-Semitism allegations against the documenta: Opinions differ
In an initial assessment of the allegations, which she regards as “primitive polemics”, Buhr wrote: “It makes no sense to drag this exhibition project into the depths of the local BDS debate, which has long since taken on the character of a culture war against the ‘identitarian left’. accepted. It applies to every international exhibition project: as soon as you invite artists with connections to the Arab world or the global South, you will meet people who have a different attitude towards BDS than the official guidelines of German politics provide.”
“Are human rights standards so easy to override?” asks Andreas Fanizadeh, head of the culture department at the “tageszeitung” in Berlin. “Or shouldn’t it rather be said, some art functionaries like to invite anyone who corresponds to their own stereotypical ideas of a critique of ‘the’ capitalism and Israel.” Fanizadeh sees the Palestinian art activist Yazan Khalili as “one-dimensional propaganda against Israel”.
Stefan Trinks made sharp comments in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung under the heading “Hetzkunst”. Statements by the filmmaker Yazan Khalili have “something of Goebbelsian dialectics”: “In an attempt to expand the combat zone, Willy Brandt’s request to dare more democracy seems to have been turned into a perverse ‘dare more anti-Semitism’.” Carsten Probst, art critic for the Deutschlandfunk, saw a lot of gibberish and spongy, general accusations in the BGA blog post. With regard to The Question of Funding, however, he called for quick and thorough clarification: “Of course, the documenta as an art exhibition in Germany cannot afford openly anti-Israel positions.” If the artists are committed to the independence of Palestine or its cultural workers, that is not yet explicit Anti-Semitism: “That would not be a reason to exclude such a collective.”
Anti-Semitism allegations against the documenta: That’s what journalists and critics say
Meron Mendel, director of the Anne Frank educational center in Frankfurt, is also quoted on Deutschlandfunk. He would “definitely not” accuse Question of Funding of clear anti-Semitism. Palestinians must also be allowed to express their protest against the Israeli occupation through a boycott: “I would not see this demand as anti-Semitic per se.”
According to the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, the BGA blog post “surprisingly little argumentation, a lot of polemics and sometimes a lot of joking.” There is vague evidence, but “mostly murmurs”. (Mark-Christian von Busse) *hna.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
