Page 13 - Studio International - March 1973

recognition as the only instance of art and the time patron, artist, work of art and criticism. Ideologically, through the world-wide
only true work of art. By demystifying art, D5 D5 initiated a formal radicalism pure and publicity campaign mounted since last autumn,
countenances the myth of art for its sole simple in so far as it represented the most the monumental aspect of the exhibition, the
benefit and ensures the gallery-as-institution an extreme possibility of the art game — the reversal comprehensiveness of the catalogue (edition of
artistic supremacy which constitutes a source of of the traditional system of art to the 20,000), finally because of some 500,00o visitors,
political advantage to the ruling ideology. advantage of the gallery, traditionally its Documenta 5 at Kassel proved the most
Thus the gallery, in which art is guardian/tutor. D5 was not a didactic and important artistic enterprise of recent years.
comfortably safeguarded from being brought critical exhibition, but a scholastic one. It Nevertheless, Kassel does not appear a town
into question, and the exhibition, under whose succeeded in enclosing the art system, but devoted to art, though Documenta 5, by
umbrella the eternal avant garde plays at without revealing this effect as such, since this concentrating such activities, made it seem
being liberated, became in D5 an iron collar enclosure is equally that which ensures its like a sort of art campus. From this the
from which art could never be set free. The openness — that is, its essential form and exhibition's didactic claims derived. And it
system is self-enclosing. But it does not look originality; moreover (and above all) it places it is true that this exhibition was in a sense an
like a prison. On the contrary, it became the above the confusion and intrinsic ambiguity of education. It displayed the supremacy of the
free and objective place of art — its place of art, since it satisfies its sufficiency by integrating gallery as institution, art as a privileged means
justice. By bringing back to itself the whole all art into the gallery. of the ideological exercise of power. Perhaps
meaning of the exhibition, D5 left the works to The gallery no longer appears as a even as theprivileged means. With Documenta 5,
themselves in the gallery and delivered them conventional framework but as the place what was already to some extent visible in other
absolutely to a dependence on the gallery. sine qua non of art. Thus it is not the framework, exhibitions but masked by the imperfection and
In relation to this dependence all works and but the milieu itself, i.e. the element and the deviant phenomena which accompanied it,
all artists were — of themselves — reduced to an centre without which nothing relating to art became obvious — i.e. the supremacy of the
identical standard: they were demystified. can take place. Equally, the exhibition is no gallery and the irresponsibility of the artists.
As a result the exhibition demonstrably did longer the 'value-giving receptacle' of the Thus, for example, Documenta 5 threw light on
not validate any particular work or avant garde. works it contains, but a receptacle which is the '72 exhibition in Paris, where the physical
This demystifying standard to which the given value by the works and which thus presence and intervention of the police enabled
artists were subjected was certainly that of the appears as a work of painting, sculpture, etc., some artists to play the part of protesters —
gallery, but it did not appear as if produced by composed of the works which it contains. which the exhibition immediately took advantage
the latter. On the contrary, it was produced by The exhibition is exhibited as the sole work of of by displaying photographs of the clash with
the artists themselves; by freely taking part in art. It is worth noting in this respect that D5 did the police. At Kassel there was no police
the exhibition they made this demystification not refer to works displayed as works of art, activity which could be used to uphold the
real and effective. By exhibiting, they but as 'exhibition material' consisting of what it myth of the dissenting artist. There was no
exhibited their need to subject themselves to the terms 'imageries of today', distinguished from need of it since Documenta 5 as gallery, as
gallery and recognized, in spite of themselves, one another according to the 'reality of the artistic campus/concentration camp identified
the gallery and D5 in particular as the measure image', the 'reality of that represented by the police and art in the name of art and to the
of their work. With D5, the gallery was image' and the 'identity/non-identity of the advantage of the system. The gallery
established in its own right as a standard of art. image and that represented by the image'. became responsible for order and freedom
The exhibition appeared as a work inasmuch within art, leaving to the artists the
Thus, the artist and his works were as it was conceived by D5. But it was a work of irresponsibility they have always shown and
supplanted by the gallery and its guardians as art only in a metaphorical sense: by the can no longer disclaim. q
the custodians of artistic truth. The same myth transposition of art as the meaning of the works
remains, the myth of art, but more radically, it refers to, into the gallery of the same name. (to be concluded)
more systematically and dangerously enshrined Which only serves to show that art is a
since its content is the institutional, ideological meaningless word. Which is why the gallery
reality of the gallery, through which is imposed can today be the only reality which gives it a
the state's political power; its form is meaning. All art is in the gallery and the gallery
demystification's objective mask. alone determines its meaning.
Demystification is essentially a myth concealed
within the enterprise which the prevailing In this respect, Documenta 5 at Kassel
power uses as a cover to reinforce its system was an exemplary exhibition. Here it was
and as a 'liberal' means of reinforcing its impossible to go outside the gallery, which
ideological hold. Demystification is no more topographically extended to the dimensions of
than an objective decoy. Strictly speaking D5 Kassel itself and ideologically conferred on
demystified nothing; hence it was neither Kassel an international dimension. The
critical nor didactic. It neither revealed nor exhibition occupied the town topographically
exhibited any innovating reality, but reclaims since it was divided between two galleries — the
for itself what has always been made possible Fridericianum and the Neue Galerie, situated
by artistic production — namely that the very on either side of the centre of Kassel. Between
confusion of art from which artists have these two points are a park, laid out at the time
hitherto drawn comfort and profit and which is with 'exhibition material'; cafés and hotels
claimed today for its own safeguard by the which were then occupied largely by those
system which they were a party to. The art game who had come to Kassel for Documenta; the
remains the same, but it has changed its town hall, where the exhibition was officially
polarity. It is the gallery and all that it presented to the press; the big shops whose
represents socially, economically and politically, windows were all decorated on the theme of
which henceforth becomes the sole true Documenta 5; the streets, which by means of
instigator of artistic creation. Art is the double green arrows all led back to the
gallery, and the gallery becomes at the same exhibition. *An illustration of Buren's work at D5 is on page 118.
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