The Gaza Biennial, a major exhibition featuring 25 artists from Gaza, concluded its full run at the Brooklyn nonprofit space Recess, with an abbreviated version remaining on view until December 20. The show presents painting, video, drawing, and testimony created under siege, offering a powerful artistic response to the ongoing conflict and displacement.
Athens is launching a vibrant September of art exhibitions, headlined by Art Athina at Zappeion Hall (September 18–22), featuring 72 galleries from Greece and abroad. The month also includes the opening of the Greek pavilion of the Gaza Biennale, a collective project uniting over 50 artists from Gaza across 14 cities worldwide, as well as solo shows by Panos Profitis at MOMus–Museum Alex Mylona and Aristeidis Lappas at The Breeder Gallery.
Major protests erupted during the preview days of the Venice Biennale, with multiple demonstrations targeting the Israeli and Russian pavilions. On Wednesday, the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) held a large protest outside the temporary Israeli pavilion in the Arsenale, attended by over 200 people calling for its closure. Separately, the Solidarity Drone Chorus performed a sound composition by Gazan artist Ahmed Muin, with 60 artists wearing T-shirts bearing names of artists from Gaza. Meanwhile, Pussy Riot and FEMEN protested Russian participation, forcing the Russian pavilion to shut its doors. These actions follow the resignation of the entire Golden Lion jury days before the opening, after they stated they would not consider pavilions from countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the ICC—widely seen as a reference to Russia and Israel.
The Gaza Biennale, a 60-artist exhibition featuring works by artists from Gaza, will debut in New York City from September 10-14 at Recess, a non-profit art space in Brooklyn, with a smaller iteration remaining on view through December 20. The biennale is a decentralized event taking place across 19 venues in 12 cities worldwide, including new pavilions in Toronto, Washington, DC, and New York. It builds on previous editions in London, Athens, Istanbul, Padua, Valencia, and elsewhere, showcasing art made from humble materials like garment scraps and old aid boxes, and includes works by 22 Gaza-based artists in its New York iteration.