Vasari Art Codex

article policy schedule Jan 10, 2026 visibility 4 link 7 artists

south africa cancels gabrielle goliath gaza venice biennale 1234769311

South Africa selected a work by artist Gabrielle Goliath for its Venice Biennale pavilion, then rescinded the decision on January 2, just eight days before the finalization deadline. The culture ministry, led by Minister Gayton McKenzie, objected to a section of Goliath's "Elegy" series that included words by Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2023. The pavilion's selection committee publicly disagreed with the cancellation, calling it censorship and highlighting a history of mismanagement.

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article policy schedule Apr 14, 2026 visibility 25 link 4 artists

south africa venice biennale gabrielle goliath banned work exhibition 1234778846

South Africa’s official pavilion at the Venice Biennale will remain empty this year following the government's abrupt cancellation of artist Gabrielle Goliath’s planned exhibition. The controversy erupted when Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie pulled the project just days before the deadline, labeling Goliath’s work "highly divisive" due to its inclusion of a tribute to Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada. Despite the official ban and a failed court challenge by the artist and curator, the work, titled *Elegy*, will now be staged independently at the Chiesa di Sant’Antonin nearby.

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article policy schedule Jan 13, 2026 visibility 3 link 3 artists

south african culture mp denies censoring venice pavilion 1234769489

The South African Ministry of Sport, Arts, and Culture has denied censoring its 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion after canceling a proposed artwork by artist Gabrielle Goliath on December 2. The work, part of Goliath's "Elegy" series curated by Ingrid Masondo, addressed sexual assault, femicide, the killings of women and queer people in South Africa, colonial-era genocide in Namibia, and included a tribute to Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada. Culture minister Gayton McKenzie initially called the piece "highly divisive" and linked to a polarizing international conflict, but a January 10 statement reframed the cancellation as a safeguard against foreign interference, alleging a foreign country attempted to fund or purchase the work to use the pavilion as a proxy for a geopolitical message about Israel's actions in Gaza.

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article policy schedule Feb 20, 2026 visibility 3 link 2 artists

south africa venice pavilion court 2745430

South Africa will not participate in the 61st Venice Biennale following a High Court ruling that dismissed an urgent application by artist Gabrielle Goliath. The dispute began in January when Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie canceled the planned exhibition, "Elegy," citing concerns over its references to Gaza and the killing of Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada. The court's decision, delivered just hours before the biennial's submission deadline, effectively leaves the South African pavilion empty for the 2024 edition.

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article policy schedule Feb 17, 2026 visibility 8 link 5 artists

UK artist resale right at 20: how successful has the pioneering scheme been?

The UK's Artist Resale Right (ARR), a law entitling visual artists to royalties from secondary market sales of their work, marks its 20th anniversary. Initially met with fierce opposition from auction houses and dealers who feared it would drive high-value sales offshore, the scheme is now largely accepted by the UK art trade, though concerns about administrative burdens compared to markets like New York and Hong Kong remain.