Approach

Research at the documenta institut follows two interwoven lines: a vertical line dedicated to reconstructing the documenta model in the evolution of its previous exhibitions, and a horizontal line that explores the exhibition model within the global art field. In both cases, the term “model” refers to a complex of statements, stagings, arrangements, inclusions, and exclusions that evolve, enrich, and reflect upon themselves from exhibition to exhibition, acting as a “traveling object” within the global network of major exhibitions. However, this also requires a historical in-depth exploration of the cultural technique of “exhibiting” prior to the modern presentations of contemporary art.

The documenta  Institut, in both its research and teaching formats, is an institute for global exhibition studies, focusing on the arts as a social phenomenon based on the practices and media of exhibiting. Approaching contemporary art through the lens of exhibitions serves two main purposes: on one hand, it acknowledges the fundamental fact that art only exists because it is exhibited; on the other, it enables a focus on phenomena and actors that extend beyond artists and artworks.

In its research, the documenta Institut  draws on the extensive collection of the documenta archiv, which offers a unique opportunity to trace a prominent contemporary art exhibition through its transformations and effects. This material, processed in the timeline, provides the institute with resources for research in two ways: it can be specifically examined and utilized, or it can serve as a source of inspiration for questions that arise from surprising discoveries and sudden insights.

The documenta Institut  conducts foundational research on the performative constitution of contemporary societies, tests hypotheses on modes of activation, and performs contemporary analysis through contemporary art exhibitions.