The big exhibition has no form. This trivial fact made us seek to combine precision with generosity. More often than not exhibitions come with a theme or are dedicated to a particutar artist, a certain era or styte,however the documenta's inherent formlessness contradicts any such approach.
The first documenta was conceived out of a desire to reconcile a demoralised German civil society with Modern Art. Yet the first exhibition had nothing much official or celebratory about it; even back in 1955 it was an aesthetic effort with a vengeance. Reappearing every five years, documenta has subsequently deveLoped into a cipher of contemporary art. As an image it has adapted itself to new modes of artistic expression,it has reflected experimental ways of speaking about art, and it has allowed itself to be changed by the influx of non-Western thought...
