A foreign country was seeking to secretly use South Africa's entry into a prestigious international art exhibit to promote a message against Israel, South African Sport, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie announced Saturday, defending his decision to cancel an agreement with a local art-curation non-profit.
McKenzie explained in a statement that he ended the November working agreement with Art Periodic to curate the country's official exhibition space at the 2026 Biennale di Venezia in May, citing concerns that the installation was intended to promote a message about the Israel-Hamas War rather than about South Africa.
An unnamed foreign country had allegedly sought to fund the exhibit, but Art Periodic had reportedly told the minister that the unnamed state had pledged to purchase the artwork following the conclusion of the Italian art festival.
"This nevertheless still raised alarm, as it was being alleged that South Africa’s platform was being used as a proxy by a foreign power to endorse a geopolitical message about the actions of Israel in Gaza," said McKenzie. "This foreign country has its own resources, so why not rent its own space and fund its own message to convey its feelings about Israel and Gaza? South Africa’s position on Israel and Gaza is clear. Maybe this country’s position should also be stated clearly – by them, and not indirectly through another country’s platforms."
The ministry and the nonprofit did not immediately respond to queries about the foreign power, but Ynet identified the country as Qatar.
McKenzie argued that the government should use every opportunity, including the Venice show, to promote South Africa. He said he was wary of artists being paid to engage in geopolitics and wanted to avoid unnecessary controversy.
"We shall give access at the Biennale to artists who promote our country," said McKenzie. "If our platform is to instead be used by other countries to push their own agendas, then we should give all countries a chance to gain access to our platform and have an equal opportunity to spread their messages by using the South African Pavilion in Venice."
South Africa's Democratic Alliance condemns McKenzie
The minister's statement followed Art Periodic's announcement last Tuesday that its partnership had been terminated, and media reports about defunding that McKenzie said were insulting and misinformative.
The Democratic Alliance, a South African political party, criticized McKenzie's decision to end the relationship as a violation of free speech and an attempt to overturn art selections after the process had concluded.
"This is not about the content of the artwork or the politics. It is about process," the DA said in a Sunday statement. "Once an arms-length selection process has been completed, a minister has no authority to intervene because he dislikes the outcome. Any concerns about content, foreign policy implications, or reputational risk should have been raised before the process concluded, not after."