South Africa Withdraws Participation from Venice Biennale

South Africa has made a controversial exit from participating in the 2026 Venice Biennale following a prolonged conflict about an artwork addressing Palestinian grief in Gaza. The decision came after the country’s right-wing culture minister, Gayton McKenzie, canceled a pavilion proposal by artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo. The independent committee had previously selected Goliath and Masondo in December 2025 to represent South Africa with a performance centering on Gaza.

Goliath and Masondo intended to honor Gazans killed by the Israeli military, including the poet Hiba Abu Nada, in their performance series, “Elegy”. They also planned to reference femicide in South Africa and the Herero and Nama genocide by Germany in Namibia.

In January, McKenzie halted their participation, asserting that the pavilion should focus on South Africa’s own story rather than divisive global issues. This decision sparked immediate backlash, with accusations of censorship from critics.

Goliath and Masondo expressed their disappointment with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s decision to not have a national pavilion at such a significant event, describing the act as “shameful” and equating the loss to a form of erasure and censorship.

The duo later sued McKenzie for what they called an “unlawful attempt” to silence their work, but their case was dismissed by a judge, and they were ordered to pay the government’s legal fees. Despite this setback, Goliath and Masondo plan to appeal, emphasizing the importance of freedom of expression for artists and creatives in South Africa.

Interestingly, McKenzie’s actions seem to stand out within the South African political landscape. Just two years prior, the South African government had accused Israel of genocide in Gaza before the International Court of Justice, marking a rare alignment with McKenzie’s stance on the issue.

The deadline for national pavilion proposals was in January, just before the legal battle began. Goliath and Masondo remain committed to their message of mourning, emphasizing the value of diverse lives. They insist that their call to recognize the dignity and mournability of marginalized identities will persist.