The fourteenth installation of Documenta was inevitably a success and in the short week I was in Kassel, this gathering of contemporary art proved to be much more fulfilling than the Venice Biennale. This year, the exhibit was held in both Athens and Kassel, however, I did not feel as though I was missing anything by not going to Athens. There were times where I did feel lost and I appreciated the feeling of not knowing what was going on. It made me realize that the reason why I love art is to constantly grow through art. Documenta 14 reminded me that it is the lessons that I learned this past week that I hope will stick with me for long to come.

Within the first couple of days, I was introduced to Germany’s long history as one of the top arms manufacturers in the world. Kassel, itself, was at the center of the industry during World War II and the history of Germany’s dark past in regards to arms was not forgotten by many artists. Some artists chose to use this history to create a dialogue while others blamed Germany directly for their trade. Regina José Galindo chose to essentially call out Germany for this past in a way that I thought was the most intense. El Objectivo (The Objective), 2017, is installed in the Stadtmuseum of Kassel and is a white cube with four large guns situated in the corner of the cube. The only way to see into the white cube is through the looking glass of the guns or a small door in the rear, which means only a select number of audience members are allowed to watch at any given time. The audience is asked to choose between being an objective or an observer. I chose to be the objective and I stood on a mark for three minutes as I stared into the barrel of a gun. Many thoughts ran through my mind as I stood there. What if the gun that I was not able to see, the one to my back suddenly clocks and shoots? What if someone I did not notice came into the room and is staring directly at me through a secret place where I cannot see? Where is the artist and when will she put me out of my misery? With all these terrifying thoughts circling my mind I stood my ground and did not move. Three minutes went by and then five, seven minutes until I realized nothing was actually going to happen. I seemed to have been paralyzed by my fear and my mind was extremely hyper-aware. I was absolutely petrified.

After seven minutes of terror, I went back and read the wall label again, and it turned out a performance would have occurred in early June. The artist would have activated the installation and I assume a gun would have fired. The immense fear of being out of control and being completely reliant on my surroundings for information when it was so unfamiliar was an extremely surreal feeling. This art humbled me in a way I could not have imagined. I was not aware of Germany’s hand in the arms manufacturing industry nor was I even remotely conscious of the impact. This artwork reminded me of that valuable lesson to question what I do not know is right and to challenge notions I have the power to change. The fear and knowledge coupled together in precarious harmony laid bare the exact reason as to why I look for art that fuels my hunger for change. Soon I realized that this tangible fear I felt was in the safety of a museum where I was not in real danger. I would not have actually been in jeopardy at all.

I found it profound to put this piece in the Stadtmuseum. In order to reach the art, the audience must literally walk through the history of Kassel. Did you know Kassel used to be spelled Cassel? I did not know that either until I sifted through the long history of Kassel before reaching Documenta 14 artworks. Galindo is protesting against the history of Kassel and its role within Germany, and it directly contradicts the atmosphere of the museum. The museum boasts the great strives in Kassel for advancement and industrialization through textiles and arms manufacturing, but of course fails to mention the consequences of these arms. El Objectivo questions this boasting and regards Kassel’s role in Germany’s arms manufacturing industry as very one-sided. These two histories, the history of Kassel as the city built from ashes and Germany as this powerhouse allows the artist to give the viewer a platform in which to base her production. This artwork made me imagine the innumerable amounts of people who have had to stare down the barrel of a gun, made by Germany, with the same fear, but without any escape. I envisioned the millions of people who had no choice but to be consumed by that palpable fear while I walked out of there unscathed. The millions of people who had no idea who made the gun, who was behind it and what will happen next, is a thought I do not think I will ever be able to shake. The artist’s objective (no pun intended) was to scare the viewer into the awareness of what guns have the ability to do and point the finger at the manufacturer, where the gun began its life as it ends countless others.

Quote in Title:

Bili Bidjocka, The Chess Society: J’ai l’impression qu’il y a une histoire d’amour entre la fille de salle et le grand noir qui fait le ménage (I have the impression that there is a love story between the waitress and the tall black man doing the cleaning, 2017)

Images:

(https://www.facebook.com/documenta14/photos/a.297152010451570.1073741828.297137273786377/845120535654712/?type=3&theater)

(https://www.facebook.com/documenta14/photos/a.297152010451570.1073741828.297137273786377/845120578988041/?type=3&theater)