New Release: The Anthology “Exhibition Ecologies”
The first anthology in the "Exhibition Ecologies" series has been published by DeGruyter. It is dedicated to the analysis of exhibitions in the context of climate change and ecological crises.
Out now: “Making Space: Independent Artist Initiatives in Taiwan since 1988”
In September 2026, the sixteenth book of the Afterall series Exhibition Histories was published: "Making Space: Independent Artist Initiatives in Taiwan since 1988". Since 2023, the documenta Institut has been in partnership with the Afterall Research Center at the University of the Arts London. As part of this partnership, Prof. Dr. Mi You and Prof. Dr. Felix Vogel from the documenta Institut are members
CANCELED: Talk: Heinz Bude and Marion Ackermann on the Memory of Art
To kick off the first series of events organized by the research network Das Gedächtnis der Kunst (engl. The Memory of Art), Heinz Bude discusses with Marion Ackermann the decontamination of the Nazi legacy in the art institutions of the three successor states to the “Third Reich”:
Events
CANCELED: Talk: Heinz Bude and Marion Ackermann on the Memory of Art
To kick off the first series of events organized by the research network Das Gedächtnis der Kunst (engl. The Memory of Art), Heinz Bude discusses with Marion Ackermann the decontamination of the Nazi legacy in the art institutions of the three successor states to the “Third Reich”:
CANCELED: Talk: Heinz Bude and Marion Ackermann on the Memory of Art
Conference: “Working On My Novel: Writing as an Artistic Practice”
Creative writing as a distinct practice has become established in recent years both in art education and in the international exhibition scene. The two-day conference at the Kassel Art Academy is dedicated to the interrelationships between creative writing, academic research, and the visual arts.
Conference: “Working On My Novel: Writing as an Artistic Practice”
Favoriten Festival: Symposium „Disrupted Infrastructures. Public Retreats as Spaces for Interruption and Reorganisation“
As part of the symposium “Disrupted Infrastructures. Public Retreats as Spaces for Interruption and Reorganization,” Gwendolin Lehnerer will chair the following panel: “Practising Infrastructures: Making Do, Making Otherwise.”
Favoriten Festival: Symposium „Disrupted Infrastructures. Public Retreats as Spaces for Interruption and Reorganisation“
documenta Institut x Gwanju Biennale: International Conference „Can Art Reshape the Future? On History, Urban Space and Practice“
As part of the research project “documenta and Gwangju Biennale: political legacy, civic life, and the worlding of art,” which has been ongoing since 2025 and is a collaboration between the documenta Institut and the Gwangju Biennale, Prof. Mi You and Dr. Maria Neumann once again visited Gwangju, South Korea, from September 12–19, 2026, to, among other things, organize the international conference “Can Art Reshape the Future? On History, Urban Space, and Practice.” In addition, the research trip served to further their research, which included visits to the National Museum of Korea, the War Memorial in Seoul—which commemorates the Korean War—the Museum of Contemporary Korean History, and the 16th edition of the Gwangju Biennale, “You Must Change Your Life.” The focus was also on presenting initial research outcomes, deepening the exchange with cooperation partners, and planning the next steps, including a publication that examines the role of art in post- and pre-authoritarian societies, drawing on the Gwangju Biennale and documenta in Kassel. The highlight was the two-day international conference “Can Art Reshape the Future? On History, Urban Space, and Practice,” which took place on September 17–18, 2026. The event centred on a transdisciplinary comparison between the Gwangju Biennale and documenta in Kassel, with a particular focus on the democratization of both countries. Examples from Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore served as additional case studies. The conference explored the historical contexts in which the respective exhibitions were founded, how they have engaged with the recent past, and to what extent this continues to influence the present and shape visions of the future. The conference was organized by the documenta Institut in cooperation with the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, The May 18 Memorial Foundation, OverLab, the Research Institute for Locality and Mutuality-CNU, and The Society for Emotion-Humanities (SEH). Participants included Bella Jung, Hsu Fang Tze, Kim In-sook, Koichiro Osaka, Kyoungnam Yoo, Maria Neumann, Mi You, Sooyoung Leam, and Wang Tuo.
documenta Institut x Gwanju Biennale: International Conference „Can Art Reshape the Future? On History, Urban Space and Practice“
Workshop: Conceptual Art in the Expanded Field: Past, Present, Future
The workshop critically examines the complexity of artistic production from the late 1960s onward that has commonly been grouped under the term “conceptual art,” bringing together established scholars and emerging researchers from European universities.
Workshop: Conceptual Art in the Expanded Field: Past, Present, FutureResearch (Selection)
Symposium: Critical Fabulations of documenta
The symposium "Critical Fabulations of documenta" is about the gaps, omissions, and suppressed histories in the narratives surrounding documenta. Rather than treating these absences as deficits, it understands them as productive starting points for rethinking its history. At its core are those voices, images, and narratives that have been marginalised, overlooked, or never fully made visible in the official histories of the exhibition. Instead of seeking a linear or complete account of documenta,
Symposium: Critical Fabulations of documenta
The China Moment. Contextualizing Individualism in Chinese Contemporary Art.
Mit The China Moment widmet sich das documenta Institut einer entscheidenden Phase der zeitgenössischen chinesischen Kunst. In den 1980ern begann eine Zeit tiefgreifender politischer und wirtschaftlicher Veränderungen. Geprägt von den Reformen Deng Xiaopings entstand eine neue künstlerische Sprache, die Individualität, gesellschaftliche Teilhabe und humanistische Perspektiven miteinander verband.
The China Moment. Contextualizing Individualism in Chinese Contemporary Art.
Anti-Semitism and postcolonial debates using the example of documenta fifteen
Bei dem Forschungsprojekt „Antisemitismus und postkoloniale Debatten am Beispiel der documenta fifteen“ handelt es sich um eine Kooperation des documenta Instituts mit der Bildungsstätte Anne Frank und der Frankfurt University of Applied Science unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Meron Mendel und Prof. Dr. Heinz Bude.
Anti-Semitism and postcolonial debates using the example of documenta fifteen
Rückblick auf das Symposium "Die documenta fifteen als Zäsur? Kunst, Politik und Öffentlichkeit"
Am 17. und 18. November 2023 fand das Symposium „Die documenta fifteen als Zäsur? Kunst, Politik, Öffentlichkeit“ in der UK14 in Kassel statt.
Rückblick auf das Symposium "Die documenta fifteen als Zäsur? Kunst, Politik und Öffentlichkeit"
Collaborative project: Art and cultural policy after National Socialism
Numerous art exhibitions in the post-war period, including the documenta, by no means stand for a “zero hour”, but rather refer to quasi self-evident and hushed-up continuities in art and culture alongside frequently remembered ruptures: on the one hand, exhibi
Collaborative project: Art and cultural policy after National SocialismPresse
Käte Hamburger Kollegs „Rohstoffwelten – Kulturen im Umbruch“
Tagesschau.de: How can the energy transition succeed without alienating people? That is one of the issues being addressed by a new research center at the University of Kassel. Art and culture are also expected to play a role in this effort. Among those involved is Mi You from the documenta Institut.
Käte Hamburger Kollegs „Rohstoffwelten – Kulturen im Umbruch“
Symposium „Critical Fabulations of documenta“
Deutschlandfunk: Through a three-part conference series, the documenta Institut in Kassel is outlining its research profile. But it doesn’t want to simply follow in the footsteps of the history of the world art exhibition.
Symposium „Critical Fabulations of documenta“
Symposium „Critical Fabulations of documenta“
Deutschlandfunk Kultur, Fazit: “Critical Fabulations of documenta” – A symposium on what has been repressed.
Symposium „Critical Fabulations of documenta“
Symposium „Critical Fabulations of documenta“
Taz – die Tageszeitung: Through a three-part conference series, the documenta Institut in Kassel outlines its research profile. But it doesn’t want to simply follow in the footsteps of the history of the world art exhibition.
Symposium „Critical Fabulations of documenta“
Tagung „Kunst – Ausstellung – Diskurs“
Deutschlandfunk: How Much Theory Is There in Art? Conference at the documenta Institut in Kassel
Tagung „Kunst – Ausstellung – Diskurs“
Tagung „Kunst – Ausstellung – Diskurs“
Deutschlandfunk Kultur, Fazit: The Road to Documenta 16? Symposium in Kassel on Art and Theory
Tagung „Kunst – Ausstellung – Diskurs“
Tagung „Kunst – Ausstellung – Diskurs“
Taz – die Tageszeitung: Romanticization, Complacency, or Anti-Intellectualism? Philipp Felsch, Heinz Bude, and Oliver Marchart meet at the documenta Institut. There, they discuss the connection between theory and art.
Tagung „Kunst – Ausstellung – Diskurs“Ausstellung „The China Moment“
Artdaily.de: The documenta Institut announces its first research exhibition at the Kasseler Kunstverein.
Ausstellung „The China Moment“
Ausstellung „The China Moment“
Taz – die Tageszeitung: Art from China on Display in Kassel. They find what they’re looking for in reality. What do we know about Chinese art? The exhibition “The China Moment” at the Kassel Kunstverein reflects China’s eventful journey to the present.
Ausstellung „The China Moment“