Contemporary Community: Documenta Fifteen 2022

Author: Mandee McFerren

Image: Former Bauhaus swimming pool to be used as a venue at the 2022 Documenta

Fifteen event. Source: Instagram @documentafifteen

As the world adapts to the new normal of Covid 19, we are seeing the return of a swath of postponed exhibitions and art fairs across the globe. Many of these events have been occurring for decades, and artists and viewers alike are anxious to have them back to present, view, and learn. In Kasel, Germany, the Documenta contemporary art exhibition has formerly been held every five years but was postponed due to pandemic restrictions. Planned to go ahead this year, Documenta Fifteen is scheduled to run June 8 to September 25, 2022 barring any obstacles.

Documenta Fifteen will be the 15th edition of Documenta, and while organising one of the world’s largest and most influential contemporary art exhibition amidst global shutdowns has been challenging, Indonesian arts collective Ruangrupa who are curating this year’s show have promised a unique and enriching show of an expansive variety of artists and venues. Ruangrupa was founded in 2000 and is based in Jakarta, Indonesia, and is a nonprofit organisation promoting artistry within urban and cultural context through interdisciplinary groups. The collective organises community art projects, festivals, art labs, workshops, and research projects, as well as producing books, magazines and online publication. Basing their work on values rooted in Indonesian culture, community is of central importance.

Source: Instagram @documentafifteen

Ruangrupa was unanimously selected by the International Documenta Commission for the artistic director role largely due to their participatory approach. The collective has based its methodology for Documenta Fifteen on the Indonesian meaning of the word “lumbung”, referring to a communal building in rural areas where a community gathers their harvest to store and distribute it as a pooled resource. Working on a community-oriented model for the exhibition, the collective highlights ecological, social, and economic sustainability throughout the planning and execution.

The collective has publicly stated the following: “We want to create a globally oriented, collaborative and interdisciplinary art and culture platform that will remain effective beyond the 100 days of documenta fifteen. Our curatorial approach strives for a different kind of collaborative model of resource use — in economic terms but also with regard to ideas, knowledge, programs and innovations.“ This statement, along with the collective’s plans for the exhibition, have created excitement surrounding the postponed event.

Following their concept of lumbung and their intrinsic values of community, solidarity, and fair distribution, the members of Ruangrupa announced the preliminary list of the 54 artists and collectives who will participate in the event on October 1st, 2021. The group chose to

announce the highly anticipated information in the German publication Asphalt, a newspaper whose proceeds go to aid the impecunious and the houseless. The collective also chose to list the artist’s and collective’s time zones, rather than country, of where they are based.

Source: Instagram, @documentafifteen

Ruangrupa was unanimously selected by the International Documenta Commission for the artistic director role largely due to their participatory approach. The collective has based its methodology for Documenta Fifteen on the Indonesian meaning of the word “lumbung”, referring to a communal building in rural areas where a community gathers their harvest to store and distribute it as a pooled resource. Working on a community-oriented model for the exhibition, the collective highlights ecological, social, and economic sustainability throughout the planning and execution.

The collective has publicly stated the following: “We want to create a globally oriented, collaborative and interdisciplinary art and culture platform that will remain effective beyond the 100 days of documenta fifteen. Our curatorial approach strives for a different kind of collaborative model of resource use — in economic terms but also with regard to ideas, knowledge, programs and innovations.“ This statement, along with the collective’s plans for the exhibition, have created excitement surrounding the postponed event.

Following their concept of lumbung and their intrinsic values of community, solidarity, and fair distribution, the members of Ruangrupa announced the preliminary list of the 54 artists and collectives who will participate in the event on October 1st, 2021. The group chose to

announce the highly anticipated information in the German publication Asphalt, a newspaper whose proceeds go to aid the impecunious and the houseless. The collective also chose to list the artist’s and collective’s time zones, rather than country, of where they are based.

Source: Instagram, @documentafifteen

All selective participants have been grouped into majelis, an Indonesian term derived from Arabic for a gathering or meeting, and to a large degree will be in charge of their own organization and allocation of their allotted budget. The majelis will also be used as a tool for artists from different disciplines and places to exchange ideas.

The event promises to bring a new way of working to the exhibition sector, and will undoubtedly be an exciting event for both viewers and artists. Tickets can be found on the official website, https://www.shop-documenta-fifteen.de/#/tickets/time?group=flex.

The event is planned to run this summer from 18 June to 25 September 2022. For more information, visit https://documenta-fifteen.de/en/.