Roger M. Buergel, the artistic director of documenta 12 is an internationally active exhibition organizer and curator who was born in Berlin in 1962. Together with the art historian Ruth Noack, art from various regions of the world and in all conceivable media has been selected for the exhibition. The works are not shown simply unrelated to each other in a line, but are put into relationship with each other.

To initiate such a productive exchange, the documenta poses three questions for art, and also for its public: Is humanity able to recognise a common horizon beyond all differences? Is art the medium for this knowledge? What is to be done, what do we have to learn in order to cope intellectually and spiritually with globalisation? Is that a question of aesthetic education and cultivation? What constitutes life, when everything is subtracted which does not belong essentially to life? Does art help us to penetrate to what is essential?

The present catalogue of documenta 12 provides entries that follow a time line rather than alphabetical order. Certain works are highlighted within this time line, while the complete checklist of the art works can be found at the back. With their choice of works, the curators of documenta 12 have moved deeply into the past. Roger M. Buergel and Ruth Noack commented, 'Although this might look odd considering that documenta is an exhibition of contemporary art, we believe that it is necessary because most forms and formats come with rather a long history. They may also extend well into the future. Artists are highly aware of both the history of the forms they are using as well as of their future implications. The audience is generally not. It made sense, to us, to approach the internal dynamic destinies of form not only theoretically but to actually show them, turning them into documenta 12.'

Images of works in the catalogue are accompanied by individual texts. With preface by Roger M. Buergel and Ruth Noack. Artist biographies are also provided.