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.
The Gaza Biennale matters because it uses art to challenge the art world to reckon with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where over 62,000 Palestinians have died since October 2023, and more than 200 cultural heritage sites have been destroyed. By centering the work and stories of artists who still reside in Gaza or have recently left, the biennale serves as an advocacy and awareness-raising endeavor with a fundraising mission, pushing back against erasure and asserting the right of a people to exist with dignity on their land.