German art exhibit draws criticism from Jewish leaders over anti-Semitic images
Documenta, one of the largest art fairs in the world, has been in the midst of controversy over its inclusion of a group of Palestinian artists who strongly criticize the Israeli occupation
A visitor walks through an exhibition by Indonesian artist Agus Our Amal PMTOH during the Documenta 15 press preview. AP
Jewish leaders and the Israeli embassy in Germany on Monday expressed their “disgust” at the anti-Semitic images on display at Documenta, one of the world’s largest art fairs.
Documenta had been clouded by controversy for months over its inclusion of a group of Palestinian artists strongly critical of the Israeli occupation.
Two days after the exhibition opened to the public, one of the works exhibited by Indonesian art group Taring Padi was also criticized for depictions that the German government and Jewish groups said went too far.
On the incriminated fresco is the representation of a pig wearing a helmet bearing the inscription “Mossad”.
On the same work, a man is depicted with side curls often associated with Orthodox Jews, bloodshot fangs and eyes, and wearing a black hat with the SS insignia.
“We are disgusted by the anti-Semitic elements publicly displayed at the Documenta 15 exhibit,” the Israeli embassy said in a statement.
“Items depicted in some exhibits are reminiscent of the propaganda used by Goebbels and his henchmen during the darkest periods of German history,” he added.
“All red lines have not only been crossed, they have been broken.”
Josef Schuster of the Central Council of Jews in Germany noted that “artistic freedom ends where xenophobia begins”.
Culture Minister Claudia Roth also said this is where “artistic freedom finds its limits”, urging the show’s curators to “draw the necessary consequences”.
The chairman of the German-Israeli Society, Volker Beck, said Image daily that he was filing a complaint with prosecutors about the photo.
Documenta said so later and the Indonesian collective decided to hide the work and install an explanation next to it.
No Israeli Jewish artists
Documenta, held in the German city of Kassel, includes the works of more than 1,500 participants.
For the first time since its launch in 1955, the show is organized by a collective, the Indonesian Ruangrupa.
But even ahead of the show’s opening this weekend, the group has come under fire for including The Question of Funding collective because of its ties to Israel’s BDS boycott movement.
BDS was labeled anti-Semitic by the German parliament in 2019 and banned from receiving federal funds. About half of Documenta’s €42 million ($44 million) budget comes from public funds.
Opening the exhibition this weekend, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he had considered skipping the event.
“While some criticism is justified against Israeli policies, such as on the construction of settlements”, the recognition of the Israeli state is “the basis and the precondition of the debate” in Germany.
He called it disturbing that some from outside Europe or North America have refused to participate in cultural events attended by Jewish Israelis.
It is striking that no Jewish artist from Israel is represented at this edition of Documenta, he noted.
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