Germany | Strong representation of Asian artists at documenta 15

Until 25 September documenta fifteen will take place in Kassel, Germany. One of the main art events on the calendar, this year documenta was curated by the Jakarta-based artists’ collective ruangrupa, the first time in the exhibition’s history that it is led by artistic directors from Asia.

ruangrupa has built the foundation of their documenta fifteen on the core values and ideas of lumbung (Indonesian term for a communal rice barn). lumbung as an artistic and economic model is rooted in principles such as collectivity, communal resource sharing, and equal allocation, and is embodied in all parts of the collaboration and the exhibition.

Over 100 days, documenta fifteen offers not only individual artistic presentations, but also a diverse lumbung programme of workshops, demonstrations, sound sessions, talks, readings, and film screenings.

Some highlights

Asian Art Archive is heading to documenta fifteen with a group of collectives and organisations working on education and archiving. The Translations, Expansions, located in the Fridericianum, presents artworks and archival materials about collective undertakings by artists who learn from vernacular cultural practices across Asia.

The Dhaka-based Britto Arts Trust, an artist-run non-profit collective founded in 2002, is presenting their artistic food cooking and sharing project at PAKGHOR—the social kitchen—gathering around a table full of stories, memories, and companionship. Britto Arts Trust works extensively in different locations across Bangladesh and attempts to understand the country’s socio-political upheaval by exploring missing histories, cultures, and communities and collaborating with various partners.

Some other Asian artists involved in the programme include:

lumbung Indonesia: a platform for Indonesian art collectives practicing lumbung
ikkibawiKrrr: a visual research band founded in Korea in 2021 that explores multifaceted links between plants and humanity, civilisation and natural phenomena, and colonialism and ecology
Amol K Patil: an Indian conceptual and performance artist
Cao Minghao and Chen Jianjun: China-based artist-researchers who highlight the transactional collaboration between the artists and their partners in ecological and socio-cultural spheres
Kiri Dalena: a visual artist and filmmaker known for her works that lay bare social inequalities and injustices, particularly in the Philippines
Nhà Sàn Collective (NSC): an independent artist collective from Hanoi
Baan Noorg Collaborative Arts and Culture: a non-profit, artist-run initiative from Thailand that explores exchange, integration and co-existence within the community
Sa Sa Art Projects: a Cambodian artist-run initiative dedicated to experimental and critical contemporary art practices