Documenta 12 in Kassel, Germany
by Sue Williamson
Opening on June 15, just five days after the Venice Biennale, Documenta retains its crown as the most significant contemporary art event in the world. Occurring for 100 days once every five years, documenta, held in the small German town of Kassel is considered to be the 'authoritative worldwide seismograph of contemporary art'. For each cycle, a new director is appointed. Roger Buergel, Berlin-based curator, assisted by art historian Ruth Noack, is director for the 12th manifestation of the event.
Three main leitmotifs guided the selections for documenta 12. 'Is modernity our antiquity?' examines the profound influence modernism has on contemporary art. 'What is bare life?' explores the question of what life is, stripped to its bare essentials, and how life is lived in the world today. 'What is to be done?' addresses what art can do to develop, to communicate, and to initiate discourse, not only within the boundaries of the artworld but on a larger stage.
A special feature of this year's documenta is the documenta 12 magazines project, which might be considered Buergel's extension of previous curator, Okwui Enwezor's international series of 'platforms', in which intellectuals were drawn into discussions on art discourse. Buergel sought to cast his net wider, to disseminate ideas through the medium of the world's art magazines. Thus, the project team held six workshops for participating magazines around the world, both in print and online, around the three themes. ArtThrob took part in the fifth of these, held in Johannesburg.
The concept behind the magazines project was to extend the influence and thinking behind the central event and themes in Kassel, to introduce the magazines to each other, and during the 100 days of documenta, to give them the opportunity to share articles from other journals in the group. In Kassel, a special space will be given to this project.
Regarding the artists who will be exhibiting on the actual event, documenta plays its cards very close to its chest, and does not reveal the names of the chosen before the opening, but it is known that at least three South African artists are on the list: Churchill Madikida, David Goldblatt and Guy Tillim.
For Goldblatt, who exhibited on the last documenta, it will be a return, but the other two artists are showing for the first time. Tillim will be showing work from his Congo Democratic series, and Madikida will present the work made for his Standard Bank Young Artist Award show, 'Like Father, Like Son?'.
For the period of documenta, ArtThrob will run a special section each month, featuring an article or opinion piece drawn from one of the other magazines participating in the documenta 12 magazines programme, starting with our own contribution this month. See DOCUMENTA.
