The ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict has transcended its geopolitical boundaries and is now casting a long shadow over the world of art and culture. Prominent organizations like Artforum, the Venice Biennale, and The International Council of Museums find themselves at the center of a divisive debate regarding their stances on the conflict.
The catalyst for this controversy was the publication of an open letter in Artforum on October 19, signed by 8,000 members of the arts community, including renowned artists such as Nan Goldin, Barbara Kruger, Peter Doig, Tomás Saraceno, Katharina Grosse, Joan Jonas, and Kara Walker. The letter unequivocally voiced support for Palestinian liberation, called for an immediate ceasefire, the passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and an end to the alleged complicity of governing bodies in human rights violations and war crimes. It also emphasized the rejection of violence against all civilians, regardless of their identity, and a call to address the root cause of violence: oppression and occupation.
In response, the owners of Lévy Gorvy Dayan gallery issued their own open letter published in Artforum on October 20, criticizing the original letter for its perceived one-sided perspective. They expressed their distress, highlighting the ongoing situation, historical context, and the atrocities they claim occurred in Israel on October 7, 2023.
The debate continued as Jeremy Hodkin, the editor of the art industry newsletter, The Canvas, weighed in, decrying the original letter’s alleged omissions and biases. Hodkin reported facing backlash after The Canvas criticized “the art world’s silence in condemning the Hamas terror attack” on October 12, with individuals unsubscribing and galleries withdrawing their sponsorships.
Notably, some artists, including Katharina Grosse, Peter Doig, Joan Jonas, and Tomás Saraceno, withdrew their support from the October 19 open letter following the backlash.
The Venice Biennale also finds itself under scrutiny for rejecting a proposal from the Palestine Museum US. This decision, as reported by ARTnews on October 24, contrasts with the Biennale’s previous inclusion of a Palestinian exhibition as a sanctioned ‘collateral event’ in 2022. Faisal Saleh, the Museum’s director, pointed out the disparity in treatment between Palestine and Ukraine, noting the extensive support given to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion.
The exclusion of the Palestine Museum US as a collateral event is particularly conspicuous given the 2024 Biennale’s theme, “Foreigners Everywhere.” Curator Adriano Pedrosa described the theme against the backdrop of a world grappling with multiple crises related to the movement and existence of people across countries, nations, territories, and borders.
Meanwhile, the Israel Pavilion continues as planned, with artist Ruth Patir and curators Mira Lapidot and Tamar Margalit expressing their grief and concern over the recent events of October 7, 2023, and the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. However, the Venice Biennale has yet to issue a formal statement on the Israel-Palestine crisis.
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) released a statement expressing deep concern about the violence affecting Israeli and Palestinian civilians and lamenting the significant humanitarian consequences of the conflict. This statement, although balanced, did not fully meet the demands of ICOM Israel’s open letter, published on October 22, which called for ICOM to condemn Hamas’s acts of terror unequivocally. The debate within the art world regarding the Israel-Palestine crisis is far from resolved, as organizations and individuals grapple with the complex and contentious issues surrounding the conflict.