The 13th Berlin Biennale opened amid controversy over its handling of the Gaza conflict. In a tense press conference, curator Zasha Colah faced questions about whether any invited artists had withdrawn in solidarity with the Strike Germany campaign, and whether she had experienced state repression for addressing the genocide in Gaza. Colah acknowledged one artist’s withdrawal but denied experiencing state repression, while the biennial’s title, “passing the fugitive on,” and its theme of “the fox” were criticized as evasive. The article describes the event as a case study in how German cultural institutions navigate political pressure and censorship.
This matters because the Berlin Biennale is a major state-funded contemporary art event, and its handling of the Gaza issue reflects broader tensions in Germany’s cultural sector over free expression, institutional complicity, and the limits of acceptable political commentary. The article highlights how artists and curators are forced into a precarious balancing act between artistic integrity and the threat of losing government support. It also underscores the growing influence of activist campaigns like Strike Germany, which pressure cultural workers to boycott German institutions over the country’s support for Israel.