Documenta 13 has begun

Since June 9th, the usually quiet city of Kassel has once again become the vibrant
center of international contemporary art. The 13th Documenta
brings together artists from 55 countries who
will redefine the artistic standards of our time.

“Collapse and Reconstruction” is the motto of Documenta
13, but behind the presentation of actual artistic evidence of
collapse and reconstruction there is much more to it.

For
when the artistic director Christov-Bakargiev explains that
what the participants exhibit “may or may not be art”, she means
that the boundary between what is art and what is not
is becoming increasingly less important these days.

This once again concerns the relationship between art and
society and the call to reflect on this relationship
, which has been heard every 5 years from Kassel since 1955.

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the artistic director of Documenta, states that she is pursuing a "no-concept" approach at Documenta 13 , one that creates space and time. This is because time and space are perceived differently in our globalized world than before; familiar ways of seeing things are being disrupted and reshaped, for example, through the use of the internet

Contemporary artists also perceive the world differently, which is why Documenta is dedicated to artistic research and all forms of power and imagination that accompany artistic creation.

Documenta and the World

This broadly open concept is reflected in the venues where the
13th documenta takes place: Just as documenta 13
is not limited in its ideas, neither is the space where it takes place.
In Kassel, the traditional main venues are used – the Fridericianum,
the documenta hall, and the Neue Galerie – but even here,
documenta 13 begins to take root in the city.

takes place in very unusual locations
: in those that serve the history of nature and technology, such as
the Ottoneum and Orangerie, or in the middle of the green space of the Karlsaue, in
industrial buildings behind the former main train station and in many other
civilian spaces.

Documenta 13 is also
taking place in Kabul (Afghanistan), Cairo, Alexandria (Egypt), and Banff (Canada), aiming to
create “a polylogue with other places.” With this motto in mind,
Kabul, alongside Kassel, was chosen as the most spectacular venue; its
art scene was virtually wiped out by the war.

An exhibition is taking place in Kabul, accompanied by a series of workshops,
seminars, and lectures in Kabul and the Afghan province of Bamiyan.
The theme and aim are primarily works produced in Afghanistan, focusing
on the themes of collapse and reconstruction, and fostering dialogue
between artists and the public.

In Egypt, a seminar is taking place as part of Documenta, a
two-part event series and exchange program between Kassel,
Cairo, and Alexandria. The most remote location of Documenta 13 is in
Canada: In the town of Banff, Documenta participants will meet with cultural practitioners from around the world from August 2nd to
15th to conduct joint research
and exchange ideas.

Art and more

The list of participants for such an unrestricted Documenta does not only
include artists: among the almost 300 names are agricultural scientists
and activists, computer engineers and inventors, geneticists and musicians,
non-art artists and pastors, subconscious analysts and
scientists (and 77 other professional groups that
deal with art).

However, roughly half of this list consists of artists,
and only 8 of the approximately 175 artists are on the current list of the
world's most important artists, which
is compiled according to frequency of public appearances. This list truly
represents the artistic avant-garde.

The concept is generating curiosity, as the initial surge in visitors
demonstrates. Those who have had their fill of their favorite pieces after several visits
can continue exploring the current state of
contemporary art
for much longer by consulting the writings in the exhibition's accompanying publication series, "100 Notes – 100 Thoughts."

As Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev already outlined the concept of the exhibition in her “Letter to a Friend” (No. 3 of the 100 publications) : “The dance was very frenetic, lively, rattling, ringing, rolling, twisted and lasted a long time,” certainly more than the 100 days in which Documenta 13 takes place.