University welcomes Magistrate's decision to finance documenta Institute

The magistrate's decision was presented by Lord Mayor Christian Geselle and Head of the Department of Culture Susanne Völker at a press conference together with the Hessian Minister for Science and the Arts Boris Rhein, University President Prof. Dr. Reiner Finkeldey and Wolfgang Orthmayr, Managing Director of documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH. The final consultation and resolution will take place in the city council later this year.

The documenta Institute as a non-university research institute

The documenta is an art exhibition of international standing. Its scientific and historical reappraisal and networking in the international research landscape, as well as its communication to the public, take into account the significance that the world art show has attained in the six decades of its existence. With the non-university research institute, the subject of documenta in Kassel is given a scientific foundation and thus contributes further to the city's profile as a center for contemporary art.

"The documenta founder Arnold Bode envisaged the establishment of a documenta institute at a very early stage. After decades of different approaches, the city of Kassel has now defined and negotiated with the other parties involved the margins and framework conditions under which this institution, which is so important for Kassel, the art world and research, can be realized," said Lord Mayor Christian Geselle, who by virtue of his office is also chairman of the documenta supervisory board.

"The great visitor interest in documenta 14 has shown the unbroken enthusiasm for contemporary art. Through the documenta Institute to be founded, past exhibitions and their effects will also be researched in an interdisciplinary manner. This will also give the public the opportunity to engage with the subject between exhibitions," said Boris Rhein, Hesse's Minister of Science and Art, Deputy Chairman of the documenta Supervisory Board. "I am therefore very pleased that the state can provide the necessary funds for research and operation. This is an important milestone on the way to establishing an internationally significant research institute and for Hessen as a research location."

Head of Cultural Affairs Susanne Völker emphasized that the final resolution by the city council, which is targeted by the end of 2018, will provide the necessary clarity for the further progress of the project. "On the basis of the spatial planning jointly agreed between the city of Kassel, the state of Hesse, the federal government, the University of Kassel and documenta with documenta archiv, joint financing can now be provided. Now, with the combined forces of the contributors, the focus of the content and its implementation can be further refined. These are good prospects for the emerging documenta Institute."

The president of the University of Kassel, Professor Dr. Reiner Finkeldey, was delighted with the magistrate's decision. The university president is convinced that with the documenta Institute, Kassel will develop into an important place for the study of contemporary art: "The university's scientific contribution will be extensive, interdisciplinary and significant. In addition to the documenta professorship and three new professorships, other subjects will become involved. Together with all partners, we will succeed in establishing excellent and internationally visible research on documenta and contemporary art for Kassel."

 "The documenta archive is the living memory of the world's most important exhibition of contemporary art. Written material, images and publications from what are now 14 documenta exhibitions since 1955 are gathered here and represent a unique treasure whose importance cannot be overestimated not only for the international art world, but for social development in general, as the high number of users from various academic disciplines, but also from politics, journalism or curatorial and artistic circles from all over the world shows," added the designated General Director of documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH, Dr. Sabine Schormann. "A highly motivated, service-oriented and expert team around Director Dr. Birgit Jooss is working together with the other partners to make these valuable holdings available to international research even more than before. A non-university research facility promises a particularly large amount of freedom for globally oriented scientific work."

The building project

The future documenta Institute is to have a floor area of around 6500 square meters, and the total cost of the building project is not to exceed 24 million euros. To this end, the federal government has already earmarked a grant of twelve million euros in the budget of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The state of Hesse has promised a grant of six million euros from 2018; the municipal share will total six million euros. The operating costs for the building, currently calculated at 200,000 euros, will in future be borne in equal parts by the city of Kassel and the state of Hesse.

Structure of the documenta Institute

The central element of the new institution will be the documenta archive. Since its relocation from the city to the roof of documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH, the city and the state share the costs of one million euros annually. Initial, preliminary calculations of future personnel and material costs assume a minimum additional sum of 420,000 euros. The necessary personnel and material costs, which relate to the archive and the institute's administration, will continue to be borne equally by the city and the state in the future. According to Mayor Geselle and Head of the Department of Culture Völker, the city's participation of 50 percent for the establishment and operation of the documenta Institute's administration is therefore conditional on the state of Hesse providing the necessary funds in the state budget from 2020, as already announced by Minister of State Boris Rhein.

Research

The state of Hesse also intends to provide necessary funds for the research area of the future documenta Institute from the 2020 budget year. The exact amount will be determined during the 2020 budget deliberations.

With funds from the state of Hesse, the University of Kassel will establish three additional professorships that will contribute to the planned documenta Institute and expand research on the most important show of contemporary art through different scientific perspectives. The state of Hesse is funding the professorships with 180,000 euros in a start-up phase in 2018 and 360,000 euros from 2019. In addition to their other activities in research and teaching, the future professors will strengthen the scientific contribution that the university has pledged to the documenta Institute.

Background

In order to implement the objective of scientific and historical reappraisal of the documenta and its mediation, the city council of Kassel had decided in its meeting on May 8, 2017, to build a new documenta Institute and to provide a plot of land required for the construction project. At the same time, it was decided to lease the building to the university and documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH after completion.

This decision was concretized in the magistrate's meeting on June 19, 2017, when the current parking lot at Holländischer Platz was made available as a site area for the construction project.