Nearly 9,000 individuals, comprising artists, curators, and museum directors, have endorsed an online petition advocating for Israel’s exclusion from this year’s Venice Biennale art fair. They accuse Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza.
Israel has been under increasing international scrutiny, particularly within the arts community, due to its brutal crimes in the Palestine.
According to Gaza health officials, nearly 30,000 people have lost their lives, and a significant portion of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been forced to flee due to Israel’s military campaign. Israel vehemently denies any allegations of committing genocide.
The online statement by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) collective asserts, “Any official presence representing Israel in the global cultural arena serves as an implicit approval of its policies and the alleged genocide in Gaza.”
According to ANGA, the Venice Biennale has a history of taking a stand against political injustices. It previously barred South Africa due to its apartheid regime of white minority rule and excluded Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Among the signatories of the appeal are Faisal Saleh, the director of the Palestine Museum U.S., prominent U.S. photographer Nan Goldin, and Jesse Darling, a British visual artist who clinched the Turner Prize last year.