Investigation Undercuts Minister’s 'Foreign Power' Claim in Venice Biennale Dispute
New reporting indicates Qatar Museums had dropped plans to buy a recording of Gabrielle Goliath’s Elegy before the minister intervened.
Overview
- Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie cancelled Gabrielle Goliath’s Elegy, which had been selected for South Africa’s 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion.
- McKenzie said he acted to block a "foreign power" from using the pavilion to push a geopolitical message about Gaza.
- Daily Maverick reporting, cited by AllAfrica, indicates the entity was Qatar Museums and that its purchase interest had lapsed prior to McKenzie’s December 22 interference.
- The cancellation drew sharp public condemnation from scholars Christina Sharpe and Rinaldo Walcott, who called it a betrayal of the anti-Apartheid legacy.
- The clash highlights tension between South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel over Gaza and a domestic decision that restricts an artwork centered on Palestinian grief.