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Denigrated Olaf Scholz: Hamja Ahsan
Photo: Florian Cramer / documenta fifteen
Those responsible for the Documenta art exhibition, which has fallen into disrepute, have distanced themselves from the exhibiting artist Hamja Ahsan.
In a joint press release, the management and artistic direction of the exhibition stated that Ahsan's statement about Chancellor Olaf Scholz was "unacceptable".
In a Facebook post from early August, Ahsan Scholz had previously described him as a "fascist pig".
According to the legal assessment by the management, Ahsan will henceforth be offered "no further opportunity for a public appearance" within the framework of the exhibition.
However, the Ruangrupa curatorial collective decided to stick to the “principle of separating exhibited artwork and personal action” outside of the documenta.
Ahsan's posts will therefore continue to be exhibited, the statement said.
Chicken advertising causes criticism
Bangladeshi-born Brit Ahsan installed several light boxes on the Documenta grounds in Kassel that advertise fictitious snack bars that sell halal chicken.
According to Ahsan, he wanted to draw attention to the increasing Islamophobia in Great Britain in a satirical way.
The work has been criticized in connection with the documenta anti-Semitism scandal, for example because one of the light boxes with the inscription “PFFLC – Popular Front Liberation Fried Chicken” alludes to the “Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine” (PFLP).
The PFLP is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US.
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