Documenta, the famed quinquennial that takes place in the German city of Kassel, has announced the artist list for its 15th edition. The art fair is set to open in June 2022. The exhibition is being curated by the Indonesian collective ruangrupa and is focused on the concept of collectivity.
Documenta is known for the unusual means by which it makes its biggest announcements. The experimental quality that typically pervades the event extended to today’s artist list announcement, which was made via Asphalt, a German publication that is run by the houseless and people impacted by poverty. A Documenta spokesperson said that the organization would make an official announcement on Monday.
Even the list itself was somewhat unconventional. Whereas most artist lists are ordered alphabetically, this one was organized by time zone, without any of the biographical information that typically appears alongside artists’ names. In Asphalt, the artists were grouped according to “majeli,” or cosmologies.
Documenta 15 is loosely themed around the idea of lumbung, which translates from Indonesian as a sort of commons predicated upon resource-sharing. Throughout the curatorial process, the directors have placed a strong emphasis on collectives, even bringing on other multi-person artist groups to help the nine ruangrupa members organize one of the world’s most important biennial-style shows. “To collaborate with others—it’s kind of like making new friends from whom we can learn much, much more,” ruangrupa told.
Ruangrupa’s artist list, which may be expanded later on, is offbeat and largely devoid of the international art sensations one expects to see at an exhibition like Documenta. Among those taking part are the performance group Black Quantum Futurism, whose two members mull linkages between past, present, and future; Chimurenga, a South African collective focused on spurring readers and viewers to political action by way of publications and events focused on African culture; Jimmie Durham, who has reflected on the Native American experience via tricky readymades; and Asia Art Archive, which seeks to chronicle and preserve the continent’s recent art history.
Though Documenta’s opening is still far off, tickets are already on sale. “Solidarity tickets”—admission bought on behalf of someone else—can also purchased, effectively giving another person free entry.
