More than 100 French artists, researchers, and art professionals have signed an open letter calling for a boycott of Centre Pompidou Hanwha in Seoul, a joint initiative between Centre Pompidou and the Hanwha Foundation of Culture set to open June 4. The protest targets Hanwha Group's ties to Israeli defense contractors Elbit Systems and Elta Systems, which supply arms to the Israel Defense Forces, with signatories denouncing the project as "art-washing" and demanding an end to the collaboration.
The boycott highlights growing tensions between cultural institutions and corporate partnerships linked to geopolitical conflicts, specifically the Israel-Palestine crisis. The petition also condemns the broader commodification of culture and the international expansion of museums through alliances with multinational corporations. Notable signatories include 2021 Marcel Duchamp Prize winner Lili Reynaud-Dewar and scholar Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, and protests have extended to Hanwha-sponsored venues in New York, reflecting a coordinated art-world response to perceived complicity in human rights violations.