As the Federal President announced on Wednesday, Okwui Enwezor, director of Haus der Kunst since 2011, will be awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany on October 6, 2014 by President Joachim Gauck.

In support of its decision, the Office of the Federal President wrote:

Okwui Enwezor has long been one of the outstanding curators in the Federal Republic of Germany. His work focuses on social issues and the arts in the global age. He served as artistic director of Documenta 11 in Kassel in 2002, and it is thanks to him that, since this Documenta, the predominantly European perception of art has been significantly expanded. Okwui Enwezor drew attention to African, Arab and Asian art in contemporary art and introduced social and non-European issues and topics into the very heart of Documenta’s concept. With his curatorial work, he succeeds in reaching a vast public. Since 2011, Okwui Enwezor has served as director of Haus der Kunst in Munich. Enwezor regards the receipt of this award as an overwhelming honor and as an exceptional recognition of his work dedicated to contemporary art and the development of artists.