Documenta 14 cancels Franco Berardi's 'Auschwitz on the Beach' performance after fierce backlash
Franco Berardi Bifo's performance, 'Auschwitz on the Beach', was set for August 24 at the Federicianum in Kassel during documenta 14 but was scrapped following backlash from German politicians, media, and Jewish cultural organizations. Charlotte Knobloch, the president of the Jewish community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, criticized the performance as a 'grotesque operation', asserting that associating the refugee crisis with the Holocaust was 'untenable'. Kassel's mayor, Christian Geselle, along with German culture minister Boris Rhein, labeled the title a 'monstrous provocation' and of 'bad taste'. In response, Berardi defended his intention to shed light on the plight of refugees. The event was substituted with a public discussion named 'Shame on Us', featuring Jewish associations.
Key facts
- Performance titled 'Auschwitz on the Beach' by Franco Berardi Bifo was scheduled for August 24 at Federicianum in Kassel as part of documenta 14 public program.
- Canceled after criticism from politicians, German media, and Jewish cultural centers.
- Charlotte Knobloch called it a 'grotesque operation' in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
- Kassel mayor Christian Geselle described the title as a 'monstrous provocation'.
- German culture minister Boris Rhein deemed it 'bad taste'.
- Geselle and Rhein asked the Kassel public prosecutor to cancel the event; prosecutor declined.
- Berardi defended the title as a 'shield' against the return of Auschwitz.
- Replaced by public debate 'Shame on Us' at Parlament of Bodies, Federicianum, with participation from Jewish associations.
- Event was a collective act of self-accusation and appeal to stop ongoing extermination.
- New York Times article headline: 'I rifugiati stanno subendo una “Auschwitz on the Beach”? La Germania dice di no.'
Entities
Artists
- Franco Berardi Bifo
- Felice Moramarco
Institutions
- documenta 14
- Federicianum
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
- Hessischen/Niedersächsischen Allgemeinen
- New York Times
- Zentrum für Politische Schönheit
- Parlament of Bodies
- Artribune
Locations
- Kassel
- Germany
- Munich
- Oberbayern
- Bologna
- Mediterranean
- Ankara
- Tripoli
- Libya