Over a million visitors have been recorded in Athens and Kassel, until this Sunday, the last day of documenta 14 in Germany. The most important visual arts exhibition in the world, the 'Olympics of art' as it is called, has yet again won the bet managing to create a global debate on thorny issues. The way that Adam Shimitsky, the Artistic Director, and the documenta 14 editorial team enlightened concepts such as politics, economy, democracy, north-south relations, colonialism, minorities, as well as art's content itself, are still being strongly discussed.
"Learning from Athens", culture builds bridges between countries, peoples, perceptions, history and the arts.
For Athens, documenta 14 has been a means for positive developments. Opening up the city to an international audience, it promoted the Greek cultural institutions abroad creating an international network for them, it worked in a neighborhood level, highlighting the intellectual wealth and potential of the city. And most importantly, it highlighted Greek art, as for the first time in the history of Documenta, or even generally, so many Greek artists participated in a major international art event. At the same time, as the Director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Katerina Koskinas, notes it helped to the museum's opening and to promoting its permanent collection worldwide.
The "Parthenon of the Books", the installation of Marta Minujín in the central square of Kassel, summarizes what documenta 14 meant for Athens in the most eloquent way.