Australian artists impress at Documenta

Documenta 12 closed this week after 100 days, having attracted more than 754,000 visitors and 15,000 journalists and curators from 52 countries.

Australian artists Juan Davila and Simryn Gill have had a considerable impact on international audiences at this year’s exhibition.

Documenta, regarded by many as the world’s most important contemporary art event, takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. Documenta was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 and was intended to reconcile German public life with international modernity after WWII. Its periodic display gives each exhibition event a special status.

Documenta 12 explored three questions of the artists and public: Is humanity able to recognise a common horizon beyond all differences? Is art the medium for this knowledge? What is to be done, what do we have to learn in order to deal intellectually and spiritually with globalisation?

The two Australian artists, Juan Davila and Simryn Gill, were selected by artistic director Roger Buergel to take part in the exhibition. Juan Davila had 11 of his politically charged paintings exhibited and Simryn Gill showed the reconstruction of a truck using organic found objects.  Their work attracted comment in the international press coverage of the event.

The Australia Council congratulates the artists, whose presence was supported by the Visual Arts Board through its International Visual Arts Strategy.