DOCUMENTA Impressions

Reflexions one week after the opening

Returning to Vienna on ICE train from Kassel, we reflect on the opening days of the dX, review the catalogue, discuss the exhibition and read the criticism in local and international press. The exhibition is panned by the German press, and praised by the Austrians. It is the exhibition that art critics love to hate. David's outright arrogance to journalists at the press conference will not be quickly forgotten.

a subjective selection for dX

Catherine David has made a subjective selection for dX. It is her show, and brings her personal history with art into a wider public light. It shows her international history and scope, i.e.: her long-standing interest in Brazil, Israel, and Africa. Her affection for drawing and photography are clear. There are a few stars in the show, and they are represented with large scale works, for example Gerhard Richter, Art and Language, and Peter Kogler. There are also new topics, new names, artists from countries never before represented at the documenta, and these are the artists we are most interested in discussing.

But first, in a swift overview (analysis) we note that there is a definate lack of feminist orientated works, of overtly political works (to bring the period of the 60s into focus), and a lack of media art heavyweights. The media works on view are primarily low tech, and are not about the media, but rather content. Even the two Internet installations (Jordan Crandall and Marko Peljham) use their exhibition opportunity to bring into question theoretical pre-conditions, and the information system/media is not the primary fascination.

One of the most inventive and personally retrospective works in the dX is a collaboration between Mike Kelley and Tony Oursler. The two artists attended California Institute for the Arts in the 1970s, and have remained friends through the years. In this new work at the Documenta-halle, they bring their ragged sense of humor together in a packed space, crowded with miniature video projections that decorate free-standing theatre sets, massive objects that hang from the ceiling (looking like mutilated Michelan Men), skitzoid scrawlings made by hand, altogether like fragments of dreams and nightmares.

The Kelley/Oursler contribution to the dX "multiples" (art you can buy at dX) is a CD set of original sound works. The whole enchilada is called The Poetics Project, and is worthy of repeated visits, if just for a breath of fresh air from the heady, quiet and theoretical works on view.

Another possible way of interpretation of the dX exhibition is to see it as pre-announcement of a common media surface thatmust be prepared. In events accompanzing the dX, like the debate about the "Big E" and the "Big U" (serioius vs. pop culture) which took place between Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff and Prof. Dr. Hans Ulrich Reck, that took place on the opening night at the Sparkasse (a sponsor of the dX) gave a new interpretation of the art show. Reck stated that dX might just be a physically expanded user interface. On this interface, a mix of meta-museological with small dots of media and net art, which is not really representative, builds a surface for the contemporary mix of art, politics and everzday social reality. If the show is just a content preparation for these media realities, it must be a boiler for materials from different cultures, also from "E" and "U".

Edward Said also spoke at the opening talk of the 100 DAYS program. He talked about the intertwinedness of the phenemona between art and non-art, social and political. these transgressions between disciplines are among the most interesting aspects. Catherine David has been attacked for these transgressions (sins against art) and for her personal behavior, reacting to what she called "stupid questions" from the press and audience. She was not wrong in this attitude, but she answered on the questions, "what do these political talks have to do with art and this exhibition". She answered in a very theoretical attitude, "we are speaking of 'le politique" which is containig more and much more complex than "la politique". This answer expected a great deal from the audience, and was in the linguistic tradition of the French theorists.

This French anthropoligical association of the social becomes evident in polititized works, like from Rem Kolhas. Different linguistic systems and structures of power and identity by text and language are programatic of a whole line of artistic works at the dX.

Even the Net ideas correspond to this shift between museological works from the last decades, posted for political and stratigical reasons. For example, Kippenberger, shows his worldwide idea of metrostations, also transportable, into a website.

Also a question of political inclusion, answers might have been possible, not at least the pro-Palestenian speaker, (and early supporter of Arafat) who was given the the opening night lecture of the theoryseries of the 100 days. He had one of the biggest audiences and gave the theoretical background for political artworks, especially like the work of Aya & Gal Middle East, who produced a CD ROM that showed the view out of a car, on the streets of Jerusalem. One could navigate, and could stop at certain Palestinian checkpoints. One was able to take either political position. This might be programatic for the political potential of art.

The spectacle and its society, like Guy Debord described it, Catherine David also reflected in her plans of the dislocated documenta. the whole city of Kassel is among the parts of the exhibition. There is a lot going on on the Treppenstra, on the way to the Kulture-Bahnhof. There are also dancing performances in the dX, like Meg Stuart, who is one of the contemporary stars of contemporary dance.

Outside Kassel, there are installations like the MacroLab of Marko Peljhan. It is an isolation laboratory to develop a specific future mixed up of utopias of futurists, constructivists, Russian avant garde and poetry. In the Documenta-halle, it is reprresented by a military console, which offers various various ways to communicate directly with the lab.

Another way of imaging at the dX was the sort of theoretical objects of Carsten Nicolai, on stickers, pins, and even stencilled on the sidewalks in town. Additionally, the revival of multiples at moderate prices, like for example Jordan Crandall's computer aided design handheld ergenomic sublimation objects for decorating managers desks.

Crandall's installation "suspension" combines different media, but is reduced to an independent system of projections, not connected to outside sources. The main point seems to be observation of rhythm and movement, and the construction of space by communication, everyday design, and net communication tools. The content was prepared, and still is reflected in the blast forum, which the visitor is missing at the location.