Two artists who took part in documenta 15 have published an open letter of advice to colleagues invited to the next edition, documenta 16, urging them to weigh carefully what accepting the invitation could cost them. The authors, writing anonymously, say artist friends have spent months asking whether they should accept, refuse early, or accept for now and withdraw later.

The two writers say they were subjected to severe attacks by German media, political activists, politicians and cultural institutions after documenta 15, because of their support for Palestine. They describe accusations of antisemitism against them as unfounded and fabricated, and say the campaign led to attacks and vandalism at their exhibition venues. The experience, they write, left scars on their lives and careers, made it harder to apply for jobs, funding and exhibition opportunities, and caused enormous stress and burnout. They chose to remain anonymous to avoid a return of the fear and pressure they endured.

The letter argues that exhibiting at documenta was once seen as a lifetime achievement, but that assumption has been shattered. Since the start of the war in Gaza, the authors contend, the German cultural scene has lost credibility and functions as an extension of state power, because almost every museum, Kunsthalle and festival depends on federal, regional or municipal funding and is steered by the conditions attached to it.

They point to a non-binding Bundestag resolution from 2019 calling for federal funding to be withheld from organisations supporting Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, and to a further resolution in November 2024 tying public funding to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism, which documenta itself adopted in early 2025. The authors say they will not tell invitees what to decide, but warn that under present conditions the institution is likely to gain more from an artist's participation than the artist will.