New documenta Institute: Kassel becomes a center for art research!

New documenta Institute: Kassel becomes a center for art research!

The documenta Institute in Kassel, which was officially founded on May 13, 2023, is an independent research institution operated by the University of Kassel as the sole shareholder. This innovative institution aims to strengthen and promote research on the documenta and contemporary art. The Hessian Minister for Science and Research, Art and Culture, Timon Gremmels, acts as chairman of the institute's supervisory board, whose supervisory board consists of representatives of the state of Hesse, the University of Kassel, the Kassel Academy of Art and the documenta and Museum Fridericianum gGmbH.

A central factor for the effectiveness of the institute is the increase in third-party funding. The President of the University of Kassel, Prof. Dr. Ute Clement, emphasizes the importance of this independent research institution in attracting such funds. The institute is headed by founding director Prof. Dr. Heinz Bude, who developed a comprehensive research program. The institute's research activities are divided into two parts: on the one hand, they include the historical and future consideration of the documenta and, on the other hand, the investigation of the global field of contemporary art.

Research and access to archives

Scientists at the institute have privileged access to the documenta archive. This access aims to promote a common location of the institute and the archive. This close connection is crucial for the research work and the documentary processing of the important exhibition series. The institute's funding is initially around 770,000 euros annually, with a planned increase to around 1.5 million euros by 2033.

The three documenta professorships, which have been funded at the University of Kassel since 2021 and are integrated into the institute's research, are also of particular importance. These professorships are associated with the names Liliana Gómez, Felix Vogel and Mi You and form the research core of the institute, with their studies oriented towards current topics and trends in the field of exhibition studies.

Public science and international collaborations

The documenta Institute sees itself as a center for exhibition studies and a place for exchange about contemporary art. It addresses both the local and international public with interventions and addresses concerns of contemporary art in formats of “public reasoning”. This shows the institution's commitment to promoting discursive engagement with issues of art, society and politics.

Together with international partners, the institute builds collaborations in order to be perceived as an internationally respected research center for questions relating to exhibitions in contemporary art. The independence of the institute is particularly noteworthy, as it is not tied to the five-year rhythm of the documenta exhibitions. This flexibility allows the institute to dynamically engage with the different facets of the art world.

With the new tender for the succession process for the outgoing founding director Heinz Bude, whose application deadline ends on May 26th, and the tender for the commercial management, the institute is resolutely entering a new phase. The need to name the responsible people and further develop the structural orientation of the institution is a crucial step in exploiting the potential of the documenta Institute and securing it in the long term.