We
had the chance to take in only a fraction of the mammoth exhibition (which
still felt like a lot) as we only had 24 hours over two days. The works
mentioned below are some of our personal highlights from dOCUMENTA.
At
the Karlsauepark, a large eighteenth century park only a short walk away from
the city centre, first impressions showed promise of an assorted sensory
experience. It was also immediately evident that many of the participants
subscribe to Carolyn’s belief that art is a renewable energy. A quite literal
interpretation of that theory was manifest in artist, Song Dong’s Doing Nothing Garden; a fairly large
man-made mound constructed from organic waste with neon Chinese characters
randomly implanted between the plants and wild grass. The signs can be roughly
translated as “Doing” and “Nothing”; This at first seems contradictory because
a project of such proportions doesn’t just happen out of inaction, however it
can also be appropriate as it questions our constant interference with nature
and asks the question of what the outcome would be if it was left to its own devices.
At
the Fridericianum, one of the main host venues of dOCUMENTA, we encountered
more unexpected art works. In the surprisingly intense heat, Ryan Gander’s I Need Some Meaning I Can Memorise (The
Invisible Pull); a light breeze blowing through the entire ground floor,
was met with great appreciation. My travel companions however, had an
inclination towards Ceal Floyer’s sound installation ‘Til I Get It Right. In this piece, the lines “I’ll just keep on/’till
I get it right”, taken from Tammy Wynette’s song of the same title, play
repeatedly, building expectation only to be met with frustration at the
realization that there is no progression, only infinite regress.
Off the main sites, Theaster Gates’12 Ballads
for the Huguenot House continues on with the subject of interference with
intent to improve and revive. Gates, a multi-disciplinary artist, uses his
skills in urban planning to restore the house, which was built in 1826 and was
once home to Huguenots, France’s former religious exiles. Wandering through the
three-story building we mostly see rooms that are set up as performance areas
or have strategically placed videos of musicians, whilst on some walls there
are notes on renovation plans. But then we turn a corner and notice hair
straighteners, memory sticks and other items pointing to the fact that Gates
and his team are living here throughout the duration of dOCUMENTA, further
blurring the actual function of this building and space. Also, casually
strolling through someone’s dwelling feels slightly intrusive.
On
a wider scale, the use of urban spaces as a platform on which to present
contemporary art is where dOCUMENTA(13) excels. Most impressive is the
Ex-Elisabeth Hospital, which exhibited a range of works by Afghan artists. As
if walking through a maze, we are met at every turn by impressive examples of
challenging and thought provoking ideas such as Lida Abdul’s film What We Have Overlooked that deals with
the constraining relationship between an individual and a nation. The large ballroom in the Grand City Hotel
Hessenland is impressive also for its kitsch 70s interior.
All
in all, I enjoyed dOCUMENTA as it transforms the usually mundane city of Kassel
once every five years into a thriving center of artistic activity; an example
of true creativity in the city.
Novuyo Moyo
Photography by Novuyo Moyo
