Dhe allegations against the Documenta art exhibition that it shows works of art with anti-Semitic motifs have persuaded those responsible to take a first step. The work of the Indonesian artist collective Taring Padi, which clearly serves anti-Jewish clichés, is being veiled.
The Indonesian artist collective “Taring Padi” responsible for the work “People’s Justice” decided together with the management and the artistic direction to cover up the banner in question at Kassel’s Friedrichsplatz and to install an explanation, the documenta announced.
Taring Padi said her work was “in no way related to anti-Semitism.” “We are saddened that details of this banner are misunderstood other than their original purpose. We apologize for the injuries caused in this regard,” the statement read on Monday evening.
Clear criticism of the banner had previously been raised by representatives of Jewish organizations, politicians and the media. “My personal impression is that there is anti-Semitic imagery here,” said Hesse’s Minister of Art Angela Dorn (Greens) on Monday in Wiesbaden. Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) made a similar statement. This is where artistic freedom finds its limit. “Human dignity, protection against anti-Semitism, as well as against racism and any form of misanthropy are the basis of our coexistence,” said Roth.
“Crossed a red line”
The President of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, called on those responsible for the Documenta to draw conclusions. A red line has been crossed. According to a media report, the public prosecutor’s office has since been called in.
The association “WerteInitiative – Jewish-German Positions” explained in Berlin that on the work in question “a Jew was drawn like a vampire with sidelocks, fangs, a snake’s tongue, bloodshot eyes and an SS rune on his hat. A Mossad agent depicted with a Jewish Star of David is characterized by a pig’s face,” says the Values Initiative. Its chairman Elio Adler spoke of “classic anti-Semitism with state support”, an “absolute dam bursting” and “open hatred of Jews”.
“Appalled at sheer hatred of Jews”
The President of the Jewish community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, Charlotte Knobloch, was “horrified at the sheer hatred of Jews” that is shown in the picture. “People with sidelocks and SS runes, plus a pig’s head with the inscription ‘Mossad’: that’s so clumsy and so unequivocally anti-Semitic that one wonders why all the series of talks and the long debates in the run-up to the documenta were really needed. if such a picture can still be shown in the middle of Kassel.”
Knobloch criticized the step initially announced on Monday evening to partially cover and “contextualize” the painting as “absurd”. The “bare minimum” is that those responsible remove the anti-Semitic imagery completely from public space. This is also in the interests of the other artists, she said.
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