In tune with the times

Joseph Beuys (left) and other artists attend the previous Documenta. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The name, Documenta, was coined by its founder as a documentation of modern art for young Germans who were not able to access such art after World War II.

Documenta long focused only on artists from Europe. It grew into an international exhibition by including artists from all continents in the 1990s.

In 1997, Chinese artists Feng Mengbo and Wang Jianwei took part in Documenta with their video works. From then on,Chinese art has been a part－though still very small－of the exhibition.

The number of Chinese artists attending the event is relatively small compared with other international art exhibitions. There are fewer visitors to the Kassel exhibition from Asia as well.

Compared with the Venice Biennial that attracts many artists and visitors from China, Documenta is less-known to the Chinese public and media, says Qian Mengni, a longtime art reporter from a Shanghai-based newspaper. The retrospective of the 62-year history of Documenta has been specially designed for the Chinese audience, says Siebenhaar.