New antisemitism scandal hits documenta

More antisemitic images have been discovered at documenta fifteen, a major international art exhibition in Kassel, Germany.

On Thursday, documenta's board of directors criticized "flawed actions regarding images criticized as antisemitic."

The board said it expected documenta's curatorial team to remove the works until they could be presented in an appropriate context.

Documenta organizers had removed the works when they were reported three weeks ago. But they later returned them to the show. 

Curators defended themselves, saying: "After investigating the matter we found the images took a clear stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but depicted no images of 'Jews as such,'" according to a statement.

Board members lamented the fact that the issue was "only the subject of an internal evaluation." A statement underscored the, "urgent necessity of external expertise when analyzing works for antisemitic imagery."

More antisemitic stereotypes in show about social justice

The images at the heart of the issue stem from a 1988 Algerian brochure about feminism entitled "Presence des Femmes."

It features drawings by Syrian artist Burhan Karkoutly that depict bare-toothed robots sporting army helmets emblazoned with the Star of David. Some of the soldiers bear antisemitic caricatures such as oversize noses. 

Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said: "One has to ask how far we've actually come in Germany if such images can be simply looked at as criticism of Israel."

Schuster said: "Documenta fifteen will go down in history as the world's most antisemitic art exhibition." He added that it "seems unimaginable to me" that the show will continue until its scheduled end on September 25.

Other Jewish organizations called for interim director Alexander Fahrenholtz to step down. Board members said Fahrenholtz, who took over after Sabine Schormann was forced to step down in mid-July, was not responsible.

Politicians chime in

The board received support from Green politician and German Culture and Media Commissioner Claudia Roth on Thursday. "It is good and correct that the board of directors has called on the artistic directors to remove these drawings from the exhibition," she said.

Bijan Djir-Sarai, general secretary of the Free Democrats, was far less conciliatory, saying: "These new antisemitism accusations have exposed a bottomless pit. Documenta must be immediately halted."

Collective problem for prestigious show

Documenta, which runs for 100 days, has taken place every five years since 1955, and is one of the art world's most important international events. This year, the Indonesian artist collective ruangrupa was selected to curate it.

Antisemitism accusations became audible long before the show opened. Ruangrupa was criticized for supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement, which is aimed at isolating Israel for its treatment of Palestinians. 

Just days after the show opened, the first major scandal erupted. In mid-June a massive banner by the Indonesian collective Taring Padi, "People's Justice," was first covered and then removed because of blatantly antisemitic imagery.

After weeks of public outcry, general director Sabine Schormann was eventually forced to step down.

js/msh (AFP, dpa, epd)