South Africa has withdrawn its participation from the 2026 Venice Biennale following a months-long dispute over an artwork addressing Palestinian grief in Gaza. The move comes after the country’s right-wing culture minister Gayton McKenzie scrapped a pavilion proposal by artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo that included a performance centering Gaza. An independent committee had selected the artist and curator in December to represent the country at the international art event, but in January, McKenzie halted Goliath and Masondo’s participation, arguing that the national pavilion “should not be used to amplify similarly divisive global disputes that do not center South Africa’s own story.” Goliath and Masondo’s dismissal was immediately met with opposition and accusations of censorship. “It is nothing short of shameful for the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to have announced that South Africa will not be presenting a national pavilion at the Venice Biennale this...