South African Artist's Banned Gaza Tribute to Show at Venice Biennale Venue
South African artist Gabrielle Goliath's performance piece Elegy, which was blocked from representing South Africa at the upcoming Venice Biennale due to its tribute to a Palestinian poet, will be displayed at the world's largest art exhibition after all. The work will be shown as a video installation at the Chiesa di Sant'Antonin church in the Castello district for three months starting May 4th, a venue near the main Biennale site but not part of the official event.
Government Cancellation Leaves Pavilion Empty
The South African pavilion will remain empty at the Biennale, as the country's government declined to nominate a replacement after abruptly cancelling Goliath's show in January. Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie cited the work as "highly divisive" and related to an ongoing polarising international conflict in a December 2025 letter. McKenzie, a former businessman and founder of the rightwing Patriotic Alliance appointed in 2024, has continued support of Israel despite South Africa's previous government accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Goliath argued that showing her work in Venice was crucial because its cancellation set a dangerous precedent, resulting solely from the minister taking exception to aspects of the work and her refusal to change it. Last month, she failed to overturn the government's decision in court, with a judge dismissing her application hours before the Biennale submission deadline.
Elegy: A Ritual of Mourning and Commemoration
Created as a ritual of mourning for women killed in acts of sexualised or racialised violence, Elegy was first conceived in 2015 to commemorate murdered South African student Ipeleng Christine Moholane. The non-verbal performance features seven operatically trained female performers emerging from a black background, holding a single high note as long as possible before being replaced by another singer.
The version in Venice also commemorates two murdered Nama women displaced and killed by German colonial forces in the early 20th century, and Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, killed aged 32 in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza, in October 2023. It includes a ghazal tribute to Abu Nada's poem I Grant You Refuge, written ten days before her death. While the war in Gaza is not directly thematised in the artwork, Goliath's curatorial statement references "a spectre of genocide" and discusses thousands killed in Gaza.
Artistic Support and Biennale Context
Artists continue to appeal against the government's decision and the court's order for Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo to pay costs, which Goliath called highly irregular and unheard of in civic cases. The Biennale's main exhibition, opening May 9th under the title "In Minor Keys", features works chosen by a central curator, with governments organising national pavilions. This year, 111 artists will represent 99 participating nations, up from 84 in 2024.
Goliath's show at Chiesa di Sant'Antonin is staged with London arts centre Ibraaz, which will host Elegy in October. The artist emphasised that the work's divisiveness stems not from specific language but from its direction towards grieving Palestinian lives, highlighting ongoing tensions between artistic expression and political sensitivity in international cultural events.
