The art Olympiad

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The fervour of sports is indelible. And with the Olympics dominating the world’s canvas, here’s a peek at a prestigious gathering of art that started in Kassel, central Germany.

Described as the Olympics of the art world, Documenta (13), which is hosting its 13th edition this year, was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955. Held every four to five years, this edition started on June 9 and will continue till September 16.
Italian and American writer, art historian and curator Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, who is the artistic director of Documenta (13), describes the current edition of the exhibition as being “dedicated to artistic research and forms of imagination that explore commitment, matter, things, embodiment, and active living in connection with, yet not subordinated to, theory.”
This year, Documenta (13) is sprinkled with events, seminars and workshops in Kabul and Bamiyan in Afghanistan; in Banff, Canada; and in Cairo and Alexandria in Egypt with over 250 artists participating. Kabul will host an exhibition of works from Afghanistan from June 24 to July 19.
“Documenta (13) is located in an apparent simultaneity of places and times, and it is articulated through four main positions corresponding to conditions in which people, in particular artists and thinkers, find themselves acting in the present,” explains Christov-Bakargiev. “The four conditions that are put into play within the mental and the real spaces of the project:
On stage: I am playing a role, I am a subject in the act of re-performing.
Under siege: I am encircled by the other, besieged by others.
In a state of hope, or optimism: I dream, I am the dreaming subject of anticipation.
On retreat: I am withdrawn, I choose to leave the others, I sleep.”
These four aspects relate to four locations Documenta is located in, explains Christov-Bakargiev.