Documenta 14 exhibition in Kassel, Germany: The censorship and defaming of art
By
Sybille Fuchs
6 September 2017
Two works of art dealing with the fate of refugees and exiles have become the focus for fierce attacks at this year’s documenta art exhibition in Kassel, in central Germany.
The first target was a performance and poem by the Italian social commentator and media activist Franco “Bifo” Berardi, who denounced the mass deaths of refugees in the Mediterranean. His piece was entitled “Auschwitz on the Beach.” Following protests, the performance and reading of his poem were canceled in what can only be regarded as an act of political censorship.
The second controversy concerned an obelisk by the Nigerian artist Olu Oguibe, which was denounced as “degenerate art” by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. “Degenerate art” was the term used by the Nazis in the 1930s to justify banning and suppressing all progressive art. The obelisk evokes the tragedy of the Nigerian civil war. Its pedestal bears the biblical quotation: “I was a stranger and you cared for me” in four languages.
documenta 14 is one of Europe’s leading exhibitions of contemporary art and takes place every five years in the city of Kassel. This year’s exhibition stood out for the many artists addressing burning social problems such as war, immigration, oppression, the consequences of new walls and borders, and the destruction of nature and culture. The exhibition met with a mixed reaction, with many media outlets denouncing its political nature.
An additional source of controversy was the fact that this year’s documenta chose Athens as a second venue—recalling the country’s historic role as the cradle of…