INTERVIEW WITH EVA SCHARRER

The interview with Eva Scharrer, agent of dOCUMENTA (13), was conducted by art journalists Nicole Büsing and Heiko Klaas.

Ms. Scharrer, please introduce yourself briefly and explain your role at Documenta.

My name is Eva Scharrer. I arrived in Kassel in April 2009, making me the first on-site team member. I started as Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev's personal assistant. I've known her since I was her intern at PS1 Contemporary Art Center in New York in 2000, so for over ten years. Although I hadn't worked with her since then, we kept in touch, and she followed my projects as a freelance curator. The day after her appointment, I received a call asking if I'd be interested in coming to Kassel. Of course, I couldn't say no. In addition to personal assistance, I primarily did research. However, from the beginning, there was an option for my position to change, and now I mainly do what I did before Kassel: writing. I previously worked as a freelance curator and critic, and now, as an agent of dOCUMENTA (13), I am tasked with writing a large part of the texts for the Guidebook. The accompanying book contains texts intended to introduce the artists' works to the public.

Do you lead a team?

Not as a team leader. I work within the publications department, but relatively autonomously. Approximately half of all the texts in the Guidebook will be written by me. The others have been distributed among different agents or individuals belonging to the dOCUMENTA (13) team.

So, no texts about artists have been given to external authors?

No, only in very few exceptional cases. Some artists have also written themselves.

It would generally be important for us to clarify the term "agent," which is so central to dOCUMENTA (13). How is it used? Why did Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev choose this term?

More than the concept of an agent in the sense of acting in secret (which is also implied), it is about the concept of "agency," the individual activity and delegated power of action of the individual. The agents contribute to the process of dOCUMENTA (13)'s creation in different ways and are involved to varying degrees. In some cases, the collaboration is close and continuous; in others, it is looser and more sporadic. There is Chus Martínez, who, as Head of Department, is very strongly involved. She is also the only agent who moved to Kassel with her entire family to work on-site. Then there are others who are involved in specific projects within dOCUMENTA (13). And then there is the group, including artists and curators, who are engaged elsewhere in the world and contribute from there. This keeps the creative process of dOCUMENTA (13) organic and open to change.

So, while traveling or on-site in the cities where the artists live?

Exactly. Based on their background, knowledge, and geographical location, they have suggested artists and, in some cases, also mentor them.

So the intensity of collaboration varies greatly?

That's why they are not called curators. Not only because Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev has a certain skepticism towards the term curator, but also because they work very differently than, for example, in Documenta11, where a team of curators worked directly on-site.

How should one imagine the collaboration among the 14 agents? Are there regular meetings or conference calls?

No, there aren't. Of course, there are meetings. We talk to each other, but there is no fixed structure because everyone has their own area and field of responsibility. However, at the beginning, in September 2009, there was a joint trip where all the agents traveled by train from Turin to Kassel together. This was after the conference organized by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev at the Castello di Rivoli, to which all former documenta directors were invited. During the train journey and especially during the following days in Kassel, there were very intensive discussions and exchanges about the conception and locations of dOCUMENTA (13).

To write the artist texts, do you visit the artists, or how do you gather the necessary information?

That also varies greatly. I have known some of the artists personally for a very long time and have already worked with them. That also goes back to my time in New York. In addition, almost all artists come to Kassel for site visits. If an artist is here on-site, I naturally take the opportunity to meet with them, as far as the schedule allows, and we talk about the work. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work out. In that case, I do the usual research via the internet, publications, and other materials. Of course, there are also artists who joined relatively recently, or about whom perhaps nothing has been written yet, at least not in English or German. I then have to rely on the material I receive directly from the artist. Every artist writes a Project Proposal, which contains a biography and information about the work he or she plans to realize – which often is still in the process of being developed.

What will be the length of the individual artist texts?

The texts are about 440 words in English, which is a little more than one A4 page. I write in English, and they are then translated. I try to provide as much information as possible about the work itself, but also about the work currently being created. Each artist gets a double page, text and image, so the English and German text have to fit on one page.

And are there specific requirements that these texts in the short guide should meet? They are probably written for a broad audience...

I approach it relatively intuitively. Usually, the text is structured as follows: one third generally about the artist's work, then I mention two or three important previous works, and then I introduce the work that is being created for dOCUMENTA (13). Sometimes, however, this requires so much space that I focus mainly on the project. Sometimes, however, the work is not yet advanced enough, so the content has to be formulated in a sentence or relatively openly. And of course, it always depends on how much has already been said and written about the artist, how necessary it is to introduce an artist at all. I naturally strive to make my texts understandable for a broad audience and interesting for a specialist audience.

Does every artist come with a finished work? Won't a lot of it only be created here on-site?

Among the living artists, almost all of them develop new works on-site. This, of course, doesn't make it easy to write about them. In many cases, the concept is already so well-formulated that you don't necessarily have to have seen the work to understand what it's about and write about it. But there are also those that are still very vague. For many, the project has also changed repeatedly over time. There are texts that I have had to rewrite several times, even if they have already been edited, translated, and even typeset.

What do you particularly enjoy about your work?

Above all, I always enjoy the contact with the artists. I learn a lot from the artists themselves. I like the incredible potential of creative people around you: the team, the artists, the authors who write the notebooks. You are enveloped in a density of interesting people and ideas. It's a unique experience that you probably won't have again.

It sounds like the teamwork is running smoothly...

I have to say, the collaboration works very well, and I am incredibly happy with this team. We, in our small, somewhat isolated department, have a great relationship. But I also feel very comfortable in the curatorial team and the mediation team and have made valuable new friends everywhere. Although the stress and pressure are now very high, it is a fantastic team that supports each other.

How often are there joint meetings or meetings with the artistic director? Or does that not play such a big role?

That depends entirely on the department. We sit in a relatively small space, and I'm probably the one who can work most autonomously anyway. So there's less need for formal meetings. Whereas in the other departments, this has to happen several times a week, otherwise you lose track of such a complex project that is constantly changing and expanding.

Are artists always on site in Kassel? At the moment, for example?

Most of the time, one or more artists are on site. At the moment, at least one artist is certainly here. Some artists come back again and again to work on their project. Especially at the beginning, there were times when up to 20 artists were here at the same time.

Kassel outside of Documenta, what's there that interests you? Are there any favorite places you've discovered?

Yes, certainly. For example, I really like the Aue and spend a lot of time there, as much as possible.

Is that a good retreat to reflect or unwind in your time off from Documenta?

Definitely when the weather is good. I've been here in Kassel for quite a long time now. It'll soon be three years. In the meantime, I've also found friends here outside of documenta and thus also something like a social life, which was of course very difficult at the beginning when I came here and knew nobody. I've also started riding horses and doing yoga again in Kassel. Especially with a job like this, you need a physical balance on the side. However, it's getting critical to find the time for that now.

So, the hot phase is now immediately upon you?

The hot phase... I think we're all right in the middle of it. In our team, it will probably ease up a bit towards the end of March because we're currently in the middle of deadlines for publications. Of course, there's also the post-processing. Generally, it's a very intense time for everyone right now; it has been from the beginning and probably won't change anytime soon.

You'll be done writing soon. How will you spend the next few months?

There's still plenty to do, I'm sure. Once the publications are finished, there will be labels and wall texts. I'm also doing short video interviews with the artists for the website and the "dMAPS" for the dOCUMENTA (13) app. Furthermore, I'm one of the tutors for the "Worldly Companions" and will also be giving guided tours on site myself. So I will definitely stay in Kassel for the duration of the exhibition.

Are you looking forward to the time when the exhibition finally opens?

Absolutely. It's a unique experience to have been part of such a project from beginning to end. I've never experienced that before. I was at the last two documenta exhibitions, but only for the opening days and only for about two days each. So I haven't yet been able to experience the fabulous effect that you always hear about, how documenta changes Kassel and how the city suddenly blossoms and becomes international. Many artists will be in Kassel for a longer period because there are many activated projects for which the artists are on site. In addition, there will be a rich program of films, conferences, and lectures.

Do you have any plans for after Documenta?

No concrete ones yet. I come from freelance work, and there is, of course, the option to go back to that. However, that life also becomes quite exhausting over time. Some continuity and knowing where and how you will live for the next few years would also be nice. In any case, after dOCUMENTA (13), I will have to reorient myself completely.

But then with an openness for international assignments as well?

Yes, definitely.

March 2012