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CULTURE

Top German art show director quits in anti-Semitism row

The director general of Documenta, one of the world's biggest art fairs, was forced to resign on Saturday following outrage over anti-Semitic exhibits upon opening in Germany last month.

Traffic sign for documenta city Kassel in Germany
A traffic city name sign of the documenta-city Kassel, in Kassel, central Germany. Documenta 15 takes place at 32 exhibition and event venues in Kassel from June 18 to September 25, 2022. (Photo by Anton Roland LAUB / AFP)

Documenta, which every five years turns the sleepy German city of Kassel into the centre of the art world, features more than 1,500 participants and for the first time since its launch in 1955, had been curated by a collective,
Indonesia’s Ruangrupa.

But on Saturday its supervisory board expressed “profound dismay” about “clearly anti-Semitic” content after the fair opened in June, saying an agreement had been reached with director general Sabine Schormann to “terminate (her) contract.”

An interim director would be appointed, a statement added.

Two days after the show opened to the public, one of the works on display by Indonesian art group Taring Padi came under fire over depictions that both the German government and Jewish groups say went too far.

On the offending mural is the depiction of a pig wearing a helmet blazoned “Mossad”.

On the same work, a man is depicted with sidelocks often associated with Orthodox Jews, fangs and bloodshot eyes, and wearing a black hat with the SS-insignia.

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The work was covered up after Jewish leaders and Israel’s embassy to Germany voiced “disgust”, but the row cast a deep shadow over an event now into its 15th edition.

Germany’s Culture Minister Claudia Roth backed Schormann’s departure and demanded an investigation into how anti-Semitic work was admitted in the first place.

‘Lost of trust’
“The necessary conclusions must be drawn,” Roth was quoted as saying by the Frankfurter Rundschau daily.

Documenta’s supervisory board promised a full investigation, conceding that “a lot of trust has unfortunately been lost” and pledging to prevent other “anti-Semitic incidents”.

But Remko Leemhuis, director of the American Jewish Committee Berlin, accused Documenta of not going far enough and of having “still not understood the problem”.

Quoted by Bild daily, Leemhuis was especially critical of the board’s reference to “accusations of anti-Semitism” since the pieces were, he said, clearly “anti-Semitic”.

The contemporary art event had been clouded in controversy for months over its inclusion of a Palestinian artists’ group strongly critical of the Israeli occupation.

Ruangrupa came under fire for including The Question of Funding collective over its links to the BDS boycott Israel movement.

BDS was branded anti-Semitic by the German parliament in 2019 and barred from receiving federal funds. Around half of Documenta’s 42-million-euro (dollar) budget comes from public funds.

Kassel was home to a vast forced labour camp during World War II and was heavily bombed by the Allies. Documenta aimed to put Germany back on the cultural map after the Nazis’ campaign to crush the avant-garde.

The fair, which runs until September 25, now ranks with the Biennale in Venice among the world’s premier showcases of contemporary art.

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EVENTS

Six unmissable events happening around Germany in June 2024

As summer kicks off in Germany, so do a number of festivals across the country. Here are a few of the events in June to keep in mind as you make warm-weather plans.

Six unmissable events happening around Germany in June 2024

After all of the public holidays in May this year, June may feel like a heavy one for work. 

All the more reason to make the most of your weekends.

Fortunately, between Euro 2024 (for the football fans) and music festivals featuring a wide array of genres, this June offers plenty of possibilities for enjoying your free time.

Here are a few June events you wont want to miss:

May 31st – June 2nd: Eurofolk Festival

Kicking off a day ahead of the beginning of June this year is the annual Eurofolk Festival in Ingelheim in Rhineland Palatinate.

Musical performances by groups representing world folk traditions (including American, Greek and Irish folk music, for example) are scheduled in the afternoons and evenings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. As well as workshops on various folk traditions and hobbies such as juggling, drumming, handicrafts and an herb hike.

According to the event website, this year’s most anticipated act will be the Ukrainian folk group Yagody.

Note that ticket sales on-site will be cash only, but you can pay electronically for presale tickets online. 

June 7th – 16th Bach Fest

For fans of classical and choral music, Leipzig’s Bach Festival offers open air concerts at the city’s main market as well as performances in the historic St. Thomas Church and other venues.

Monument of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach in front of St Thomas Church in Leipzig

Monument of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Hendrik Schmidt

Named for one of Germany’s most famous classical composers, Johann Sebastian Bach, festival attendees can expect to hear the kind of music that he spent most of his life composing, such as choral cantatas.

Hardcore Bach fans can purchase a festival pass for €77, or you can buy tickets to individual concerts. While you’re there you can also consider checking out the Bach museum.

Starting June 14th: Euro 2024

One of the biggest events taking place across Germany in June is the UEFA European Football Championship, also called Euro 2024.

A total of 24 European national football teams will be competing in a series of matches in venues around Germany for one month, with the first match (Germany versus Scotland) kicking off in Munich on the 14th.

With 2.7 million fans expected to come out to see the championship matches, the event is sure to be felt by residents in all of Germany’s major cities, whether you are a football fan or not.

football at Berlin's fan zone

The Euro 2024 football on the turf in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. Berlin’s ‘fan mile’ will be the largest public viewing area for the games in Germany. (Photo by Jens Schlueter / AFP)

READ ALSO: Euro 2024: What you can expect in Germany during Europe’s biggest football frenzy

For those in Germany, you can likely find a public place to watch the matches live, even if you don’t have tickets to the games. For example, in Cologne a ‘Football Village’ will be set up in the Altstadt (Old Town), for local fans to watch and celebrate games together.

In Berlin, Straße des 17 Juni in Tiergarten will be transformed into the “fan mile”, which is to be the largest open air venue for live screening Euro 2024 in Germany. The capital city’s most famous landmark, the Brandenburg Gate is to be made to look like an enormous football goal for the occasion, and matches will be projected on it.

The final match will be held in Berlin on July 14th. 

June 21st: Fête de la Musique

June 20th marks the summer solstice this year, meaning that the 20th and 21st have the longest daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere – and also mark the beginning of summer, from a geographic perspective.

On this occasion, Berlin’s Fête de la Musique offers those in Germany’s capital a chance to “celebrate the longest and most musical day of the year together”.

Fête de la Musique is basically a crowd-sourced outdoor music festival where local musicians perform at local venues around Berlin, and plenty more spontaneous acts can be found in the city’s streets, parks and public spaces as well.

All of the performances are completely free and will take place throughout the day and into the evening.

Fete de la Musique drums

A group performs the folkloric dance movement form “Candombe” and music from Uruguay in Berlin-Schöneberg as part of the Fete de la Musique. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

June 26th – 30th: Fusion Festival

The Fusion Festival (often depicted in Cyrillic letters as Фузион) is a renowned music and arts festival that takes place every year at a former military airfield in Lärz, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in north-eastern Germany.

With a focus on collective action, the event can be viewed as a social experiment in utopian communism, and has become an iconic event in the European festival scene. It’s also known for its quirky atmosphere and eclectic music lineup.

concert at night

June has a number of music festivals. Some of the momre popular ones, like Fusion Festival, can be quite a spectacle. Photo by Danny Howe | Unsplash

As well as a diverse musical programme from renowned artists and underground talents, the festival also hosts numerous workshops and discussions.

Festival tickets are available for €220, and Sunday tickets are on sale for €60 – both come with a €10 ‘trash deposit’ as well. There is also a portal in the website to a message board where ticket holders can sell or swap tickets, should they sell out.

June 28th – 30th: Hamburg Harley Days 

Harley-Davidson’s festival, ‘Harley Days’, includes a motorcycle market as well as live music and will take place on Banksstrasse at the end of June.

bikers at Harley Days fest

Participants ride their Harley-Davidson motorcycles across the event site at the Hamburg wholesale market during the first day of Harley Days. Harley Days is Europe’s largest inner-city biker gathering. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marcus Brandt

Guests can take a gander at classic motorbikes as well as the latest Harley models, or take one for a test-ride. A custom bike show is held on Saturday, and on Sunday there is a motorcycle parade through the city.

The event also promises to have a stunt show, a BBQ-focused food court, and tattoo booths.

Children and minors up to 18 years old can enter the fest for free, and there is free admission for all on Sunday the 30th. One or two day adult tickets (for Friday and Saturday) are available on pre-sale for €11 or €20 respectively.

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