<nettime> Dodomenta, Diary from Kassel

[corrected version]

Dodomenta

A Kassel diary

“We come here as equals. We come here in power, and we come here to put ourselves in the public domain, with nothing to hide or be ashamed of. We come here as nothing less than equals, who can humbly learn from each other, who can help each other, who care about each other, because we know that our interdependency is the only path toward a more just planetary future.”

https://www.e-flux.com/notes/489580/we-are-angry-we-are-sad-we-are-tired-we-are-united-letter-from-lumbung-community

This statement on the 10th of September ‘22, signed by 100 collective artists that acted as lumbung artists in Documenta Fifteen, terminated Documenta Fifteen a week earlier than planned. Lumbung represents an artistic and economic model focused on sustaining a continued collective practice rather than producing collectible art objects.

I had the privilege to visit this Documenta in what turned out to be the last weekend of this episode. I have seen and felt the power, the beauty and the dynamics as I moved around in the environment called Kassel, in “a constellation of public spheres” (Okwui Enwezor, 2011) . And I felt tension, a certain suspense, or rather an absence.

We are angry, we are sad, we are tired, we are united: Letter from lumbung community

The title of the last lumbung statement in the context of Documenta, was a response to the final opinion of a would-be scientific board (scientific advisory panel, appointed by the Supervisory Board of Documenta gGmbH in August 2022) that took the liberty of judging the moral value of the whole thing, including the lumbung way of working and organizing. This opinion was called for in light of the fierce attacks for being anti-semitic, anti-Israel and therefore propagating the Palestinian strand of anti-colonialism.

It was the absence of the lumbung artists in the venues that struck me, together with the lack of interaction between and among the visitors. No doubt the artists were brooding on their manifesto. And we the visitors were drifting along, in wonders. What I was looking for, having read about the attacks on the artists and the dumbness of the Documenta directors, was how the collective reacted to the German concerns which had effectively dominated the media reports on Documenta. I missed it in the weekend, but then it came to me on Monday.

“We know what it means to be discriminated against due to color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, origin, caste, and/or disability. We understand the ways that our different anti-colonial struggles intersect. And that these struggles are faced in everyday life in society at large. We are committed to art’s role in resisting these broader societal injustices. And in the context of Documenta Fifteen and the specificities of the German context we see that the targeting of Palestinian artists is the point at which our anti-colonial struggles meet, and have become a focal point for attack. Anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian racism, anti-queer, transphobia, anti-Roma, abelism, casteism, anti-black, xenophobia and other forms of racism are racisms that the German society must deal with in addition to anti-Semitism.”

Rather than letting yourself be stifled by this show of German soul searching. you strike back by reaffirming your fundamental values and working principles, thereby denouncing your German hosts for censoring your art, if not your existence.

This institute, Documenta along with its directors, boards, scientists, and sponsors has demonstrated no more that their impotence of transcending their own identity complex, missing the chance to decolonize itself. Germany is still its history. Memory is still guilt. Kassel is still Auschwitz.

Having said that, the substance of Documenta Fifteen is much more than an exposure of contemporary colonialism or the struggles against it. It is also more than just taking over a Western institution, be it an old church or Documenta itself. To me, in essence, the lumbung way has resulted in an attempt to introduce the mostly white western visitors to other value systems, other forms of social life and other ways of _expression_. It offered visitors a chance to be seduced, convinced and embraced by this gathering of communities and collectives.

“Documenta Fifteen is not a static, curated exhibition that remains the same throughout the 100 days. Instead, the venues are constantly changing: they are places in which to meet, discuss, and learn. Exhibition buildings become living rooms, and together the artists decide how to use each venue. Through this process, the rooting of artistic practice in daily life is made tangible. Documenta Fifteen seeks to test alternative approaches to economy, collectivity, and sustainability through the practice of lumbung. Even if this approach is not visible at first glance, it may be noticeable at the venues and in the programs.” https://booklet.documenta-fifteen.de/en/ueber/lumbung

Harmony and balance are valued higher than conflict and contrast. In a sense, the lumbung collective exposes itself as such: in harmony, open, and embracing.

Not so much searching for confrontation but for meeting and exchange. Baking mud cakes according to a Haitian traditional recipe from Kassel earth. Bringing rituals together in niches of the St. Kunigundis (Atis Rezistans). Feeling your creative compost in the Holobiente in Karlsaue Park. So many ways to look around, and to look at yourself.

I did have some intercourse with the works, I was absorbed and overwhelmed and warmed and all that. But it did not move, not shake, not anymore. No wonder, when the protagonists had left the space already (I only read the text of their statement the day after).

Just as we can blame Documenta for being colonial, we could call lumbung naive. How could they expect the West/Europe to accept without a whisper all collective powers invading the cultural heart of Europe? Lumbung did not come to topple the institute or invade the Volksraum, but confronted with a wall of shame, the lumbung saw itself forced to manifest its resilience and orbital interdependency, by leaving Documenta behind like a fossil. Naive? Or just a new beginning?

We are outraged, we are exhausted, but our struggle will continue.

“Lumbung Gallery is planned to extend beyond the duration of documenta fifteen as a registered entity of its own. Collectors, public institutions and communities are invited to form their own Lumbungs and participate in the sharing of artworks.” https://www.lumbunggallery.theartists.net/

Cheers! See you soon!

Jo van der Spek (1956)

Kassel-Amsterdam Sept. 2022

http://letterverz.nl public work 23 september

make it happen:

NL53TRIO0338573607 t.n.v. Stichting Migrant 2 Migrant o.v.v. LetterVerZ

Jo van der Spek M2M

Communicatieadviseur

Stichting Migrant 2 Migrant

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1094BG Amsterdam NL

Tel. +31(0)651069318

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