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With one hundred and eighty artists participating and work especially prepared to suit the eight venues and their surroundings, the ninth Documenta took on the character of an event, rather than an exhibit. It was clearly the curator's intention to involve, confront, amuse or tease at every turn, coaxing the viewer into participation not only with the artworks themselves but with the whole city environment. The responsibility for interpretation was always put squarely into the lap of the viewer.
The parameters for this Documenta, subtly articulated by the inclusion of eight historical works under the heading Collective Memory, reminded the viewer that some of the critical issues of contemporary art practice are in fact as old as art itself. Housing these works in the vaulted spaces of the Zwerenturm, an ancient medieval tower, was indicative of the way in which the Belgian curator, Jan Hoet, and his team accommodated all the works, allowing the buildings to participate in the construction of a total sign. These eight works, by, amongst others, Jacques Louis David, Paul Gauguin, and James Ensor, signified issues such as the location of the artist in society, the liberation of the viewer, the autonomy of the art object and the search for Utopia. The form in which these issues were addressed in the past is now in the vaults; the gallery proper was filled with new metaphorical style and form.
The highlighting of contemporary art's discourse with history made a great deal of sense in this small city where history oozes from every pore. The architecture is a reminder of long eclipsed power structures. Outside, in front of the main venue, Jonathan Borofsky's Man Walking to the Sky