The global art community is deeply concerned by the exclusion of Gabrielle Goliath from representing South Africa at the forthcoming edition of the Venice Biennale. The reported intervention by Mr. Gayton McKenzie, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture of South Africa, which resulted in the censorship of her work and the subsequent suspension of the South African Pavilion, raises serious alarm regarding artistic freedom and institutional integrity.
Ms. Goliath’s selected work, Elegy, is a performance-based project that addresses the killings of women and queer communities. It references, among other histories, the atrocities committed against the Herero and Nama peoples and, in its most recent iteration, acknowledges the deaths of women and children in Gaza resulting from Israeli air strikes. The work forms part of a long-standing artistic practice committed to mourning, remembrance, and the ethical witnessing of violence.
It has been widely reported that shortly after Ms. Goliath’s selection was announced, Minister McKenzie intervened and deemed the work “divisive,” thereby overriding a transparent curatorial process conducted by respected art professionals. Such an arbitrary decision not only infringes upon the rights of the artist but also undermines the credibility and independence of established selection procedures.
This intervention sets a troubling precedent. When political authority overrides professional curatorial judgment on ideological grounds, it creates an atmosphere of uncertainty and distrust, discouraging critical artistic engagement and weakening democratic cultural frameworks.
The Minister’s actions appear inconsistent with Section 16 of the South African Constitution’s Bill of Rights, which guarantees freedom of expression, including artistic creativity. That such censorship should be enacted by a public official sworn to uphold these constitutional protections makes the matter particularly grave.
Furthermore, as a State Party to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, South Africa has committed itself to fostering an environment in which cultural expressions can flourish without undue interference or censorship.
AICA International, founded in Paris in the 1940s, represents approximately 5,500 art critics across 90 countries. Among its core objectives are the defense of professional ethics, the protection of its members’ rights, and the safeguarding of artistic freedom worldwide.
Through its Censorship and Freedom of Expression Committee, AICA monitors and responds to cases of artistic suppression and violations of cultural rights.
In light of these principles, we respectfully urge the Government of South Africa to address this matter with the seriousness it deserves. We call for appropriate measures to reaffirm the independence of curatorial processes and to ensure that artistic freedom is upheld. We further call for an official apology to Ms. Goliath for the professional and personal harm resulting from this intervention.
Sincerely
On behalf of AICA
Malgorzata Kazmierczak, President of AICA International
Niilofur Farrukh, Chair of the Censorship Committee