Gaza Biennale comes to London in ICA protest
- Text by Cyna Mirzai
- Illustrations by Hamada El Kept, ‘Under Surveillance’, 2024
A viewing of the Gaza Biennale will be presented today (January 14) outside the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA).
The global project and exhibition, which brings together over 60 Palestinian artists and their work, will be digitally shown as part of a protest against the New Contemporaries exhibition at the London art institution and its funding by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Bloomberg Philanthropies has been accused of donating money to Israeli development initiatives, which protestors allege have been “directly implicated in facilitating settlement infrastructure in the West Bank”, according to a press statement.
Supported by organisations like ARTCRY and the Palestinian Youth Movement, the Gaza Biennale project began in April 2024 as a way to spotlight the diverse work of Palestinian artists, while calling for an end to ongoing atrocities in Gaza. The collective extend an open invitation to local and international institutions to host and produce exhibitions and work with them as partners.
In a press statement, the artists said the project marks a “creative step outside the traditional frameworks of exhibitions. It reflects the sensitivity and specificity of our situation, making it an urgent and exceptional event. At the heart of the artistic purpose is the struggle of a people to survive.”
The name of the project is a statement of intent that it will be a recurring event and that both Gaza and the artists will still be standing in two years’ time.
You might like
Confronting America’s history of violence against student protest
Through A Mirror, Darkly — In May 1970, two separate massacres at American college campuses saw deaths at the hands of the state. Naeem Mohaiemen’s new three-channel film memorialises the brutality.
Written by: Miss Rosen
“Madness can be overcome”: Robert Del Naja releases statement after Palestine Action arrest
“Small price to pay” — The Massive Attack frontman was one of more than 500 people detained on Saturday on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action, a group that has been banned under the Terrorism Act 2000 by the UK government.
Written by: Ella Glossop
Defiant photos of New York’s ’80s & ’90s queer activists
Arresting Images — Dona Ann McAdams’ photographs document the AIDS crisis, lesbian organising and civil disobedience from one of the most fraught eras in American LGBTQ+ history. A sale of her archive takes place later this month.
Written by: Sydney Lobe
Joe Bloom’s View From a Bridge
More stories, more human — The artist and creator of the vertical video generation’s most loved storytelling platform explains the process behind creating the show, and the importance of bucking trends.
Written by: Isaac Muk
When David Wojnarowicz became Arthur Rimbaud
Arthur Rimbaud in New York — In 1978, the American artist and his friends donned masks to pay tribute to the French poet, who was born a century before him. Miss Rosen traces the differing yet parallel lives of the queer revolutionaries.
Written by: Miss Rosen
New documentary spotlights Brixton’s community in the face of gentrification
Beyond Brix & Mortar — With property prices rising by 1,700% since the ’80s, the film explores the rich cultural history of the area’s Afro-Caribbean community, and the threat to the area’s soul.
Written by: Sydney Lobe
