Documenta 15 Challenges the Universality of the Art System

The article, published on Artribune Magazine #69, is a philosophical reflection on the concept of universality in the art world, using Documenta 15 in Kassel as a case study. The author, Marco Senaldi, argues that the art system is not universal and that Documenta 15, curated by the Indonesian collective ruangrupa, demonstrated this by featuring mostly non-Western collectives and militant groups rather than established institutional names. The exhibition, held in various buildings across Kassel, was characterized by an absence of big names and a focus on collective and multicultural practices. Senaldi notes that while this shift is positive, it reveals a tension between a return to 'original traditions' and the need to articulate discourse in forms already established by Western avant-gardes. He draws a parallel with the story of Ding Zhen, a Tibetan yak herder who became a global internet star overnight via TikTok, illustrating the comedic and unexpected nature of the universal. The article suggests that the universal is not an all-encompassing whole but a counter-move that catches contenders off guard. Senaldi concludes that while Documenta 15 served as a powerful declaration of independence from prefabricated art institutions, it also highlighted the difficulty of escaping the universal, as seen in the reappearance of the ghost of Marcel Duchamp's Bicycle Wheel in the form of an assemblage of scrap metal by a 'working group'.