documenta 14 to be held in Athens too
In 2017, documenta will be held for the first time in two places: Kassel, its original venue, and Athens.
The announcement came as a surprise: documenta, the arts event that has been based in Kassel since 1955, will also be held in Athens in 2017. The Greek capital will be an equal exhibition venue, says artistic director Adam Szymczyk. “documenta will thus abandon its undisputed role as host in favour of another: the role of guest.” documenta 14 will open in Athens in April 2017 and in Kassel two months later. The projects in both cities will refer to one another without merely repeating the event in the respective other city. The choice of Athens as partner is linked with recent political and social developments in Europe, says curator Szymczyk, who is from Poland. The “tangible conflict” between North and South that emerged in the course of the economic and financial crisis is also a theme in art.
The decision to hold the documenta in two cities is controversial and has led to discussion, especially in Kassel. That is quite in keeping with an exhibition that also aims to be a forum for debate.
