Israel-Hamas war

Tania Bruguera’s reading at Hamburger Bahnhof shut down after heated pro-Palestine protests

A statement from the museum says the incident involved activists using “hate speech” towards one of the readers and a museum director

Is censorship on the rise in the West?

Plus, Frank Auerbach at the Courtauld and an Indian painting from Howard Hodgkin’s collection

Ai Weiwei criticises ‘fragile’ state of Western democracy following Sky News interview

The dissident artist argues that restrictions manifest more subtly in Europe and the US

New show dedicated to Palestinian art to open in London

The exhibition, originally held at the 2022 Venice Biennale, will open at P21 Gallery with new works on show

Laurie Anderson withdraws from German professorship after criticism of Israel

The artist and Grammy winner supported a 2021 petition by Palestinian artists titled “Letter Against Apartheid”

Giant Shepard Fairey work calling for ceasefire in Gaza unfurled at Reina Sofia museum in Madrid

Greenpeace and UnMute Gaza organised the action at the museum because it houses Pablo Picasso’s famous anti-war painting “Guernica”

Art Gallery of Ontario under pressure to explain Indigenous art curator’s ousting

Wanda Nanibush left the institution after a letter accusing her of “hate speech” was circulated by the group Israel Museums and Arts, Canada

Berlin Senate drops 'anti-discrimination clause' in funding agreements after protests

Senator Joe Chialo says he is responding to criticism that the clause restricted the freedom of art

US museum under fire for cancelling Palestinian artist’s retrospective

The Eskenazi Museum of Art of the Indiana University in Bloomington cited “safety concerns” when it abruptly cancelled Samia Halaby’s show

Banksynews

Banksy calls for an end to war

New mural appeared in south London of three military drones stuck to a red “stop” sign—but has already been removed by two unknown men

Gaza City archives among heritage sites destroyed in Israel-Hamas war

Brief truce allowed International Council on Monuments and Sites and Palestinian antiquities ministry to investigate damage on the ground

German Academy of Arts criticises 'dangerous' violations of artistic freedom

The statement follows a number of exhibition cancellations because of curators’ or artists’ views on the Middle East conflict

New online magazine ‘celebrates and salutes’ Palestinian artists

Union Magazine, launched by the Berlin- and West Bank-based organisation Artists and Allies of Hebron, hopes to resist a polarised political climate

Ancient Saint Hilarion Monastery in the Gaza Strip gains enhanced protection from Unesco

The archaelogical site, which dates back to the fourth century, has reportedly sustained damage during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war

The Year in Review 2023: the biggest stories and the best shows

From the British Museum thefts to the consequences in art and heritage of the Israel-Hamas war

Hosted by Ben Luke. With guest speakers Louisa Buck and Benjamin Sutton. Produced by David Clack, Julia Michalska and Alexander Morrison
Sponsored byChristie's

Arnolfini censorship row deepens as artists refuse to work with the Bristol institution

The dispute was sparked by a decision to cancel Palestine Film Festival events

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