South Africa withdraws from Venice Biennale over Gaza artwork dispute

South Africa has withdrawn its participation from this year's Venice Biennale following a conflict between Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie and artist Gabrielle Goliath. The conflict reportedly stems from Goliath's artwork 'Elegy', which references Gaza. According to reports, McKenzie withdrew Goliath's invitation to exhibit in the country's pavilion in January, leading the selection committee to accuse the minister of censorship.

Goliath reportedly claims the minister's action is due to the artwork referencing Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in 2023. McKenzie has reportedly called the work 'highly divisive' and denied accusations of political censorship, stating the pavilion is for showcasing South African artistic expressions based on South African experience. Goliath took the case to court last week to regain the right to represent her country at the biennale, but the court chose not to take up the case, a decision she will appeal.

As a result, South Africa's pavilion will be empty during the Venice Biennale, which opens on May 9. Separately, a row over anti-Semitism and the response of the Berlin Film Festival committee is the subject of a hastily arranged government meeting to be held on Thursday. Germany's Culture Minister, Wolfram Weimar, has called an extraordinary reunion of the state's culture commission, with the fate of Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle also expected to be decided.

According to reports, the supervisory board will discuss the future direction of the Berlin International Film Festival and other personnel changes. Weimar and Tuttle are reportedly in agreement that she can no longer remain at the helm due to political turbulence during this year's edition, which ended on Sunday. The debate about speeches at the awards ceremony has reportedly forced Weimar to take action, with claims that both agree a new start is necessary because the festival has been misused by anti-Israeli activists.

This edition was Tuttle's second time in command. On the eve of her takeover, she warned that Germany's impression regarding free speech on the Middle East conflict was affecting the event, expressing fears that criticism of Israel would be condemned as antisemitism in Germany. At the opening press conference, jury chair Wim Wenders said movies can change the world but not in a political way, leading to criticism and an open letter accusing the Berlinale of remaining silent about Gaza.

On the closing night, several award winners used acceptance speeches to express support for Palestine and Gaza, with German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider walking out when Palestinian director Abdallah Al-Khatib accused the German government of being a 'partner in the genocide in Gaza by Israel'. The festival later responded to accusations from German politicians who labelled the speeches 'unacceptable', 'anti-Semitic', and 'malicious'.