The Art Not Genocide Alliance claims that any work representing Israel amounts to “support for genocidal policies” in Gaza.
Thousands of artists, curators and museum directors call for Israel to be excluded from this year's Venice Biennale, accusing the exhibition of “promoting a genocidal apartheid state” did.
Israel is facing growing international criticism, including from the art world, over its military offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians since October 7.
The Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) said that two years ago, Russian government officials were prohibited from entering the Biennale, a large-scale international art exhibition, following the invasion of Ukraine. He said he did not take any action.
“The Biennale has been silent about Israeli atrocities against Palestinians. We are appalled by this double standard,” ANGA said in an online letter signed by more than 12,500 people as of Tuesday. .
The Biennale had previously banned South Africa based on its system of apartheid and white minority rule, and major human rights groups now call Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land “a cruel system of apartheid and a crime against humanity.” He pointed out the fact that the government considers it to be “yes.”
“It is unacceptable to platform art that expresses the state's continued atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza,” said an international group of artists and cultural activists.
The group called “all official expressions of Israel on the international cultural stage” and “all works officially representing the state of Israel” “supporting Israel's genocidal policies.”
Israel rejects any accusation that its actions amount to genocide. The International Court of Justice has found it “plausible” that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip and ordered Israel to take all measures to prevent genocide.
“Embarrassing”
Italy's culture minister condemned ANGA's letter as “unacceptable” and “shameful”, saying it “threatens freedom of thought and creative expression”.
Gennaro Sangiuliano said in a statement: “Israel not only has the right to express its art, but also has an obligation to bear witness to its people in moments like this, when they are ambushed by ruthless terrorists.” .
Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, mostly civilians, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli statistics. Israel responded with relentless shelling and a ground invasion of Gaza. More than 29,000 people, mostly women and children, were killed in the Israeli attack, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Sangiuliano said the Biennale, which opens on April 20, “has always been a space of freedom, conference and dialogue, not censorship or intolerance.”
Anga said, “Art is not born in a vacuum (much less in a 'pocket') and cannot transcend reality.”
“Palestinian poets, artists and writers killed, silenced, imprisoned and tortured by Israel, prevented from traveling abroad and domestically, have no freedom of expression. Closed by Israel. There is no freedom of expression in Palestinian theaters and literary festivals. There is no freedom of expression in the museums, archives, publications, libraries, universities, schools, and homes of Gaza that have been reduced to rubble by Israeli bombing. Cultural genocide. There is no freedom of expression for war crimes.”
Signatories of the appeal include Faisal Saleh, US director of the Palestine Museum, activist US photographer Nan Goldin, and British visual artist Jesse Darling, who won the Turner Prize last year.
Dubbed the “Olympics of the art world”, the Biennale is one of the major events on the international art calendar. This year's “Foreigners Everywhere” will feature pavilions from 90 countries from April 20th to November 24th.
