documenta 14 was masterminded by Adam Szymczyk and his team of fifteen curators, writers, and critics, among them Bonaventure Ndikung (Savvy Contemporary Berlin) as curator at large. Ndikung was in charge of the research for potential African contributors at home and abroad and communication with the sixteen of them who ultimately participated.
When developing his concept, Adam Szymczyk was irked by the German Finance Minister's statement that Greece should do its “homework” before receiving further loans to save the country from bankruptcy. Consequently, when unveiling his documenta project on October 6, 2014, Szymczyk described Greece as “Meier 2017). In protest against such condescending attitudes, he chose Athens as an equal venue, titled this documenta Learning from Athens, and even opened the event in Greece two months before Kassel. Considering Greece's history of expansion and use of slaves, it is up to debate if he chose the perfect...