South African Ministry Denies Censoring Venice Biennale Pavilion

South African Ministry Denies Censoring Venice Biennale Pavilion

In a statement released on January 10, the South African Ministry of Sport, Arts, and Culture has denied censoring its 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion. As reported by ARTnews last week, the ministry canceled the proposed artwork for the pavilion on December 2. A selection committee appointed in November by the nonprofit organization Art Periodic, the ministry’s partner in administering, producing, and fundraising for the South African Pavilion, …

Venice Biennale Uproar as South Africa Cancels Artist Over Artwork Referencing Gaza

South Africa has cancelled its "highly divisive" submission for this year's Venice Biennale by artist Gabrielle Goliath.

South African government pulls Gabrielle Goliath’s Venice Biennale pavilion

Gabrielle Goliath, Elegy – Noluvo Swelindawo, 2017, ICA Live Art Festival, Cape Town. Courtesy Institute for Creative Arts South Africa’s presentation at the Venice Biennale has been thrown into disarray after the government blocked an artwork that references Israel’s war on Palestine. Gabrielle Goliath was to exhibit a work from her Elegy performance and video series, which focusses on femicide and the murder of gay and trans people in South Af…