South Africa Cancels its Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2026 Over Gaza-Themed Artwork

South Africa has announced it will not participate in the 2026 Venice Biennale, canceling its national pavilion at the world-renowned art exhibition following a contentious dispute over artwork referencing the war in Gaza.

The decision marks the country’s first absence from the Biennale since 2011 and has ignited debate about artistic freedom and politics in the global arts community.

The country’s Department of Sport, Arts and Culture confirmed that the South African pavilion will remain empty at the 61st edition of the Venice Biennale, scheduled to run from May 9 through November 22, 2026. The cancellation follows a legal and political conflict between the government and artist Gabrielle Goliath, who had been selected to represent South Africa with her project Elegy.

Goliath’s decade-long Elegy work, which includes performance and video elements intended to memorialize victims of violent killings, was to be updated to incorporate a tribute to deceased Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada and references to the conflict in Gaza.

The inclusion of this material drew criticism from South Africa’s culture minister Gayton McKenzie, who described the proposed pavilion as “highly divisive” and requested changes to the exhibition. When Goliath refused to alter her artistic vision, the minister terminated the government’s contract with the nonprofit responsible for organizing the pavilion and pulled funding for the project.

Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo challenged the cancellation in South Africa’s high court, arguing that the decision violated constitutional rights to freedom of expression.

However, the court dismissed their urgent legal challenge just before the Biennale’s submission deadline, leaving no time to reinstate the country’s presence at the event. They have announced plans to appeal the ruling.

The fallout has sparked criticism within the arts community, with the selection committee calling the minister’s intervention “censorship” and raising broader concerns about political interference in cultural representation. The controversy underscores ongoing tensions between artistic autonomy and government control when national cultural platforms intersect with geopolitical issues.