Curators protesting against Gaza conflict say ‘art can wait but women, children and people living though hell cannot’

The artists and curators of the Israeli national pavilion at the Venice Biennale have announced their decision not to open until “a ceasefire and hostage release agreement is reached” in the conflict in Gaza, on the opening preview day of the largest and most prominent global gathering in the art world.

An open letter signed by more than 23,000 artists and other creatives called for the deplatforming of the Israel pavilion, citing the ban preventing South Africa from participating in the Biennale between 1968 and 1993.

They also cited the fact that at the last edition of the Biennale, the Russian artists and curatorial team recused themselves after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.