Hyperallergic's daily newsletter highlights several key art world stories, including a protest by nearly 200 artists, curators, and staff at the 61st Venice Biennale calling for Israel's exclusion from the event. It also features a guide to New York's spring art fairs, a new exhibition on Frida Kahlo, a campaign against a Palestinian artist in Germany, and a profile on artists advancing Islamic Futurism through calligraphy and installation.
Three Jewish groups issued an open letter to the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, a prominent German art school, calling for the cancellation of a lecture by Palestinian artist and filmmaker Basma Al-Sharif, scheduled for January 21. The groups alleged, without providing proof, that Al-Sharif's past events and social media posts—including one referring to Israel as a "Zionist entity" and stating "The lie of #neveragain is over"—trivialized terrorism and constituted antisemitism. The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf declined to cancel the event, affirming its commitment to free dialogue and noting that Al-Sharif was invited based on her CV, while also condemning the Hamas terrorist attack as a grave crime.
Banksy's Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem has reopened for the first time since the October 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. The hotel, which opened in 2017 across from the West Bank barrier, functions as a guesthouse, museum, art gallery, bookstore, and spray-paint shop, with nearly every window facing the 30-foot-high concrete wall. Manager Wisam Salsaa described the reopening as a symbol of hope and a cultural platform carrying the narrative of Palestine, featuring more than 20 original Banksy works and accommodation ranging from $70 bunk beds to a $495 presidential suite.
Sous pression, le jury de la 61e Biennale de Venise exclura les pavillons russe et israélien du palmarès
The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and running from May 9 to November 22, 2026, has been embroiled in political controversy after organizers decided to reinstate the Russian pavilion, which had been excluded since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Under pressure from the European Commission, which threatened to suspend a €2 million grant, the jury announced it will exclude artists from the Russian and Israeli pavilions from winning prizes, citing that leaders Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu face International Criminal Court charges for crimes against humanity. The Russian pavilion will remain closed to the public but open for VIP press previews, while the Israeli pavilion stays open to the public. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has refused to attend the opening ceremony in protest.
On the opening day of the Venice Biennale, around 60 artists and dozens of other participants staged a protest titled “Solidarity Drone Chorus” at the Giardini entrance, humming a viral song by Gazan composer Ahmed “Muin” Abu Amsha to sonically occupy the space. The action, organized by artists in the main exhibition over several months, protested Israel’s participation in the Biennale and expressed support for Palestine, with participants wearing T-shirts bearing the names and artworks of Gazan and Palestinian artists, many of whom have been killed. The protest follows an open letter from the Art Not Genocide Alliance demanding Israel’s exclusion.
Meriem Bennani, a Moroccan-born, New York–based multimedia artist, has been awarded the inaugural Boss Award for Outstanding Achievement at Art Basel Miami Beach. The award, presented by Hugo Boss and its Creative Director Marco Falcioni, includes a $50,000 grant. Bennani is known for her fantasy-driven installations and films, such as the 'Life on the CAPS' series and the public sculpture 'Windy' on the High Line. In an interview, she discusses her plans to donate the grant to Bilna’es, an organization founded by Palestinian artists that funds cultural projects in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Palestinian Museum in Birzeit, West Bank, is adapting its operations amid the ongoing war in Gaza and escalating violence across occupied territories. Director General Amer Shomali, who began his role on October 8, 2023, describes how the museum has shifted focus to research, digital access, and international partnerships while protecting its collection. The museum closed for four months from October 2023 to February 2024, and has since moved artworks to safer locations, including keeping paintings exhibited in Europe abroad. It mounted a bold exhibition, "This is Not an Exhibition," featuring 335 works by 122 Gazan artists, at least five of whom have been killed, and collaborated on "Thread Memory: Embroidery from Palestine" at the V&A Dundee in Scotland.
Dozens of arts and media professionals have set sail for Gaza aboard a flotilla called the Thousand Madleens, led by Bangladeshi photographer and curator Shahidul Alam. The group departed Otranto, Italy on 1 October and is currently in international waters, expecting to be apprehended by Israeli forces. Alam is traveling on the Conscience, the largest private vessel attempting to break the siege since October 2023, carrying 92 civilians from 26 countries, mostly medics and arts workers. The mission aims to challenge the legality of the siege and demonstrate solidarity with Palestinian journalists and medics, who Alam says have been specifically targeted by Israel.