South Africa pulls out of Venice Biennale after minister pans artist’s focus on Gaza

JTA — South Africa will not participate in this year’s Venice Biennale following a dispute between the country’s culture ministry and the artist who was selected, whose planned installation focused on Gaza.

Gabrielle Goliath, a South African artist selected to represent the country at the international culture exhibition, had planned to showcase a performance piece titled “Elegy” that would include a memorial for the Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2023.

Goliath’s selection to represent South Africa at the biennale by Art Periodic, a nonprofit that was running the pavilion on behalf of the country, quickly drew the scorn of Gayton McKenzie, the South African culture minister, who called her work “highly divisive.”

While South Africa has long been among the most vocal critics of Israel, and diplomatic ties between the countries have frayed over the course of the war in Gaza, McKenzie has stood out for his support of the Jewish state.

In January, McKenzie terminated the agreement with Art Periodic, writing in a letter that he would instead feature art in Venice that gave “a positive message” about South Africa, according to The New York Times.

In a January Facebook post, McKenzie claimed that an unnamed “foreign country” had endeavored to fund the South African installation at the Biennale, adding that it had been alleged that “South Africa’s platform was being used as a proxy by a foreign power to endorse a geopolitical message about the actions of Israel in Gaza.”

He continued, “South Africa’s position on Israel and Gaza is clear. Maybe this country’s position should also be stated clearly – by them, and not indirectly through another country’s platforms.”

Following the announcement, Goliath filed a lawsuit against McKenzie seeking to be reinstated as the country’s artist. The lawsuit was dismissed on Tuesday.

“We believe this ruling sets a dangerous precedent, jeopardizing the rights of artists, curators and creatives in South Africa to freedom of expression — freedom to dissent,” Goliath and her legal counsel said in a statement. “It goes without saying that we will be contesting this ruling through an appeal.”

The ministry had initially tried to find a replacement for Goliath but announced on Friday that it will not have an installation in Venice this year.

South Africa’s decision is not the first time the Venice Biennale has courted controversy over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2024, Israel’s representative at the exhibition shut down her exhibit to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages.

This year, Israel is slated to potentially return to the biennale, though its inclusion has been met with boycott calls from the pro-Palestinian group Art Not Genocide Alliance.