Documenta, the contemporary art exhibition held in Kassel, Germany, has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism in a new code of conduct, effectively stifling criticism against the state of Israel.
Held since 1955, the international event is considered one of the most prestigious in the art world, organized every five years by Documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH, a nonprofit organization funded by the German city of Kassel and the state of Hesse.
The new code of conduct, which applies to the entire Documenta organization including employees, exhibitions, and permanent facilities, was published on the organization’s website this past week, and was first reported by the German art publication Kunstforum.
“Documenta considers the working definition of anti-Semitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and the definition of racism of the UN Convention on Racism to be binding,” the conduct code text reads, adding that organizers “[reserve] the right” to comment and provide visual context around artworks deemed to conflict with said code.
Widely criticized for its conflation of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, the IHRA working definition stipulates that antisemitism includes “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” This definition has been scrutinized by humanitarian and civil rights groups for falsely equating legitimate criticism of Israeli policies with prejudice against Jewish people, and for suppressing dissent against the Israeli state in order to negate Palestinian human rights and autonomy.
Hyperallergic has contacted Documenta for comment.
The nonprofit’s adoption of the IHRA definition comes amid the “Strike Germany” campaign boycotting the country’s heavily state-funded cultural institutions for their repression of anti-Zionist and pro-Palestine voices, which has intensified in the wake of October 7.
The updated code of conduct follows the controversy-ridden 15th edition of Documenta in 2022, when accusations of antisemitism against the event’s curators, board members, and participants led organizers to cover up artworks and participants to withdraw from the event. The accusations, amplified by a Zionist blog and German media outlets, often took aim at participants’ support for or recognition of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, or Palestinian solidarity at large. In October 2023, Documenta organizers issued a statement condemning members of the 15th edition’s curatorial collective, the Indonesian group ruangrupa, for allegedly “liking” social media posts related to a pro-Palestine rally in Berlin.
Former Documenta Director Sabine Schormann resigned in July 2022 in the fallout of the allegations, and the following year, the finding committee responsible for selecting the next edition’s artistic director followed suit en masse after German media and the country’s culture minister accused two of the group’s members of antisemitism.
Last December, the organization announced that it had appointed Guggenheim Museum Deputy Director and Chief Curator Naomi Beckwith as Documenta’s next director. The event is slated for the second half of 2027.
The embattled organization’s new code of conduct effectively stifles scrutiny of the Israeli state.
