Israel-Hamas war

Protesters calling for Gaza ceasefire stage die-in at Canadian Museum for Human Rights

The action, staged on International Human Rights Day, lasted 64 minutes in observance of the 64 days since the Israel-Hamas war began

London’s Middle Eastern art sales have defied tensions

Auction purchases by Arab cultural entities overcome early uncertainties of Israel-Hamas war

Artists, writers and cultural workers sign open letters criticising Art Gallery of Ontario over departure of Indigenous art curator

Wanda Nanibush's departure has been linked to a leaked letter accusing her of “posting inflammatory, inaccurate rants against Israel”

Which heritage sites have been damaged or destroyed in Gaza?

Plus, the life and work of the pioneering Indigenous Australian artist Emily Kam Kngwarray, and a revealing manuscript by Paul Gauguin

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Candice Breitz exhibition in Germany is cancelled over her Middle East views

The artist says the “level of German self-righteousness is beyond absurd”

Archaeologists in Israel join effort to identify victims of Hamas attacks

First-of-its-kind operation has seen experts continue the grim search at a forensic level

Israeli gallery destroyed by Hamas finds new homes

Be’eri Gallery was burned during the 7 October attack, but displays in Jerusalem and beyond are carrying its legacy

Bombing of Gaza has damaged or destroyed more than 100 heritage sites, NGO report reveals

A Byzantine church and a seventh-century mosque are believed to have been obliterated, while scores of other cultural landmarks have been affected

‘It’s important to me to show what happened’: the Israeli artist drawing the traumatic events of 7 October

In the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Israel, the Kyiv-born, Tel Aviv-based artist Zoya Cherkassky-Nnadi made drawings depicting victims and hostages

Bristol's Arnolfini gallery faces backlash after cancelling Palestine film events

Film screening and poetry night were pulled over concerns they may be seen as "political activity"

German photo biennial cancelled after curator’s posts are deemed antisemitic

The host cities warn that the cancellation jeopardises “the future of the entire event"

Documenta finding panel resigns out of 'grave concern' for show’s future

The committee's mass resignation follows the departure of Ranjit Hoskoté, a writer who came under pressure for signing a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions statement

New antisemitism scandal hits Documenta as panel member resigns

Ranjit Hoskoté, who was on the jury charged with selecting Documenta's next artistic director, steps down amid furore over him signing a statement from BDS, a movement that German parliament describes as “antisemitic”

Lisson Gallery puts Ai Weiwei London show on hold over Israel-Hamas war tweet

The artist-activist defends free speech in a lengthy response, but says that the gallery’s decision is “for his own well-being”

Artists withdraw work from US National Gallery in protest of ‘government funding of Israel’s military assault’ in Gaza

A collaborative sculpture by Nicholas Galanin and Merritt Johnson was removed from an exhibition at the Washington, DC museum

Protesters calling for ceasefire in Gaza take over base of the Statue of Liberty

Hundreds of protesters affiliated with the group Jewish Voice for Peace staged a sit-in at the National Park Service site

Following protests, Toronto museum reinstates Palestinian artists’ work in exhibition on 'Death'

The Royal Ontario Museum had edited wall text and cropped an image of a painting, which the artist says amounted to “censorship and alteration”

'Gaza' spray-painted on world's oldest cultural institution dedicated to the Holocaust

The director of the Wiener Holocaust Library in London described the vandalism as “an action that can only make sense to antisemites and their enablers”

Museums around the world wonder how—or if—to respond to Israel-Hamas war

Many cultural institutions have remained silent about the ongoing crisis

Gareth Harris. with additional reporting by Benjamin Sutton and Stéphane Renault

Frick museum in Pittsburgh postpones Islamic art exhibition over fears it would appear ‘insensitive’ or ‘traumatic’ amid Gaza war

Local Muslim and Jewish organisations have questioned the decision, suggesting it risks conflating historic Islamic art and Hamas

Israelnews

Artforum reportedly fires editor David Velasco over Israel-Hamas open letter

The publication of the letter, which called for a ceasefire to the Israeli bombing of Gaza, was "not consistent with Artforum’s editorial process", the magazine's publishers said in a statement

Icom releases first public statement on Gaza war

Comments come four days after Icom Israel demanded that the Unesco-affiliated museum organisation condemn Hamas as terrorist organisation

Art world figures publish statement criticising Artforum letter for omission of Hamas massacre and hostages

Signatories of the new letter state “there should be no contradiction between staunchly opposing the Israeli occupation and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and unequivocally condemning brutal acts of violence against innocent civilians in Israel”

Israeli museums publish urgent appeal for International Council of Museums (Icom) to condemn Hamas violence

Representatives of museums including the Israel Museum and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art also call for the organisation to recognise Hamas as a terrorist organisation comparable to the so-called Islamic State

Warnews

Palestinian artists killed in Gaza amid Israel-Hamas war

Two artists, Heba Zagout and Muhammed Sami Qariqa, are among the nearly 4,000 Gazans who have died in the escalating conflict

Letters signed by hundreds of artists, including Nan Goldin and Jeremy Deller, call for Gaza ceasefire and aid for Palestinians

A letter signed by Tania Bruguera, Michael Rakowitz and others also criticised arts organisations for their "institutional silence" regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

Medianews

Veteran cartoonist sacked by The Guardian over depiction of Netanyahu

Steve Bell's unpublished drawing of the Israeli prime minister shows him performing surgery on his own stomach, which has drawn parallels with the antisemitic 'pound of flesh' trope

Art Basel increases security for Paris + fair following state of alert in France

Anti-ram barriers will be placed around the venue following a terrorist incident in France, linked to Israel-Hamas war