A South African high court has dismissed an urgent application by artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo to reinstate their cancelled pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale. The project was scrapped by Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie after Goliath refused to remove a segment of her work 'Elegy' that referenced Hiba Abu Nada, a Palestinian poet killed in an Israeli airstrike. The minister labeled the content "highly divisive" and "polarizing."
This ruling marks a significant moment of tension between state funding and artistic freedom in South Africa, with Goliath warning that the decision sets a "dangerous precedent" for government censorship. Despite the dismissal and an order to pay court costs, the artistic team intends to appeal the decision, though they face a critical deadline for pavilion submissions that has already passed.