Germany's documenta, one of the biggest modern art exhibitions worldwide, has moved its preparations online in light of the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
Documenta takes place every five years, with the next event scheduled from June 18 to Sept. 25, 2022, in the German city of Kassel.
The 15th iteration of the exhibition will be curated by a collective of artists, known as Ruangrupa, from the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
"We are currently running at full speed to digitally prepare for documenta 15," said the general director of the documenta society, Sabine Schormann.
Instead of fortnightly face-to-face meetings with the artistic team from late March onward, the team has switched to holding virtual meetings with 30 participants from more than 10 countries in various time zones.
This means that despite travel bans, preparations can continue, the organizer said.
"Of course, it does not replace personal meetings, but it allows for intensive work so that things are progressing well," Schormann said.
The theme of documenta 15 is more current than ever, given the social situation during the pandemic, according to Schormann.
The method that will be used in the exhibit, known as "lumbung," is all about "cooperation, solidarity, standing up for one another, empathy, sharing, generosity and many values that are now more important than ever," Schormann said.
