South Africa will not be participating in the 61st Venice Biennale this year, marking the country’s first absence from the prestigious international art exhibition since 2011. The withdrawal follows a publicized dispute between the national arts ministry and the creators of the country’s selected pavilion.
About the Artist and Elegy
An independent committee originally selected Johannesburg-based multidisciplinary artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo to represent the country. Born in 1983, Goliath is internationally acclaimed for her immersive, decolonial, and Black feminist installations that navigate the trauma of gendered and racialized violence without sensationalizing it. 
The proposed Venice exhibition centered on a new iteration of Goliath’s profoundly moving performance project, Elegy. Initiated in 2015, Elegy is a long-term, commemorative ritual of mourning. In each staging, a group of female vocal performers (often seven operatically-trained singers) collectively sustains a single, haunting sung cry over the course of an hour, seamlessly carrying the note for one another as their breath fails. Historically, these physically taxing, durational performances have honored specific victims of gender-based violence and femicide, creating a shared sonic space for grief and repair.
The 2026 Venice iteration, “Elegy – for two ancestors,” was designed in three parts, addressing violence in South Africa, the historical Ovaherero and Nama genocides in Namibia, and the ongoing war in Gaza.
What Happened
The controversy ignited over the third section of the 2026 Elegy performance, which specifically honored the Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, who was killed in an airstrike. In January 2026, South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, unilaterally canceled the presentation. McKenzie labeled the artwork “highly divisive,” arguing that the national platform should be used to promote South Africa rather than for geopolitical messaging regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The artist and curator filed an urgent lawsuit citing censorship, which the High Court dismissed in mid-February.
What the Ministry Has Done to Fill the Vacancy
Immediately following the cancellation, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) quietly restarted the planning process behind closed doors and reportedly approached alternative artists to prepare a new exhibition. However, as the Biennale’s strict mid-February submission deadlines arrived, the DSAC ultimately abandoned these efforts. The government has confirmed that the rented South African pavilion at the Arsenale will simply remain empty for the duration of the 2026 Biennale.
References:
- The Art Newspaper (Feb 20, 2026): “South Africa pavilion will be empty at 2026 Venice Biennale, culture ministry says”
- Hyperallergic (Jan 27, 2026): “Gabrielle Goliath Strikes a Tuning Fork of Dissent”
- ArtAsiaPacific (Feb 24, 2026): “South Africa Withdraws from 2026 Venice Biennale”
- Artnet News (Jan 22, 2026): “Venice Biennale Pavilion Dispute Heads to South African High Court”
