Artist Gabrielle Goliath is reportedly considering legal measures against South Africa’s right-wing minister of arts and culture following his decision to cancel her Venice Biennale commission, which featured themes related to Israel’s actions in Gaza. Chosen by an independent panel in December, Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo were set to represent South Africa at the 2026 event. They are now preparing legal proceedings against Gayton McKenzie, the country’s minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, as per reports from the Art Newspaper.
Earlier this month, McKenzie, who also heads South Africa’s right-wing Patriotic Alliance, annulled Goliath and Masondo’s pavilion and performance series, titled Elegy, expressing concerns over the potential for the pavilion to serve as a “proxy arena for geopolitical conflicts.” Elegy aimed to highlight the ongoing crisis of displacement and death in Gaza and other forms of violence, according to a statement from Goliath’s studio to Hyperallergic. The performance also referenced the Israeli military’s killing of Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada and femicide in South Africa.
The legal complaint reportedly claims McKenzie acted unconstitutionally by discarding the pavilion plans and is expected to be lodged in the High Court in Pretoria, one of South Africa’s three capital cities, on Thursday, January 22. Goliath, Masondo, and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture have yet to comment on this development, as per Hyperallergic’s requests for a statement.
The cancellation of Goliath’s proposal has faced backlash from artists and the Venice Biennale selection committee, who view it as censorship, a charge the South African culture ministry has denied in a statement to Hyperallergic. A ministry spokesperson also claimed an unnamed “foreign country was funding or partly funding this exhibition.” According to the Daily Maverick, Qatar Museums had plans to acquire works from the South African pavilion following the event.
Critics of the ministry’s abrupt decision have described it as a betrayal of South Africa’s official support for Gaza. McKenzie has publicly denied that Israel is committing genocide, despite contrary findings by the United Nations and several human rights organizations. His actions are reportedly under review by Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka, a prominent oversight official. Hyperallergic has requested a statement from the Public Protector’s office regarding the investigation. A Venice Biennale spokesperson confirmed that participating countries had until January 19 to submit their national pavilion proposals.
