(M)otherland at the 60th Venice Biennale

This is the message currently hanging outside the shut doors of the Israeli pavilion at
the 60th International Art Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia. Through its front glass
windows, the video work Keening by Ruth Patir is visible to passers-by while the full
exhibition, (M)otherland, awaits inside for the moment when hearts can once again be
open to art.

The decision by the artist and curators is not to cancel themselves nor the exhibition;
rather, they choose to take a stance in solidarity with the families of the hostages and
the large community in Israel who is calling for change. “As an artist and educator, I
firmly object to cultural boycott, but I have a significant difficulty in presenting a project
that speaks about the vulnerability of life in a time of unfathomed disregard for it,” Patir
says.

Curators Mira Lapidot and Tamar Margalit add, “It has been six months since the brutal
attack on Israel on October 7 and the beginning of the horrific war that is raging in
Gaza. There is no end in sight, only the promise of more pain, loss, and devastation.
The exhibition is up and the pavilion is waiting to be opened. The art can wait, but the
women, children and people living through hell cannot.”