Documenta: Anti-Semitic images surfaced again

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Visitors to documenta fifteen stand in front of the Fridericianum after the opening.

Photo:

Uwe Zucchi / picture alliance / dpa

After a work of art by the Taring Padi artist collective was taken down weeks ago because of anti-Semitic depictions, further anti-Semitic depictions have now appeared at the Documenta.

This is reported by RIAS Hessen, a research and information center where those affected can report if they encounter anti-Semitism.

Accordingly, a visitor to the World Art Show had reported seeing brochures with anti-Jewish depictions in the Fridericianum.

The Fridericianum is one of the main buildings of the Documenta.

RIAS verified the report, said project manager Susanne Urban.

First, the "Jewish General" had reported.

According to Urban, these are depictions in a brochure entitled »Presence des Femmes«, which was published in Algiers in 1988.

The drawings by the Syrian artist Burhan Karkoutly contained in it partly showed anti-Semitic stereotypes and the country of Palestine, provided with classifications that denied the legitimacy of the State of Israel.

You can see, among other things, a soldier marked with a Star of David who threatens a small boy.

According to RIAS, this reproduces the image of the »child murderer Israel«.

The brochures were issued by the initiative "Archives des luttes des femmes en Algérie" ("Archives of women's struggles in Algeria").

Its goal is to "build a digital and freely accessible archive with documents on feminist collectives and associations in Algeria, especially those that have emerged since the country's independence in 1962," according to the documenta website. 

With the discovery of the criticized drawings, the anti-Semitism scandal surrounding this year's documenta continues.

Months earlier there had been allegations of anti-Semitism against the curating artist collective Ruangrupa from Indonesia.

As a result of the scandal, documenta General Director Sabine Schormann resigned from her position.

Alexander Farenholtz was then appointed as interim managing director.

The documenta initially did not comment on the renewed allegations on Wednesday.

The city of Kassel, whose Lord Mayor Christian Geselle (SPD) is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Documenta, referred to the management of the show.

xvc/dpa