South African artist Gabrielle Goliath on showing her cancelled Venice Biennale project outside the main event – The Art Newspaper

The South African artist Gabrielle Goliath has slammed her country’s decision to leave its pavilion at the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale empty, as she prepares to exhibit the project she had planned for the space in a separate location in the city.

Last year, Goliath was selected to present a new iteration of Elegy—her decade-long project that has centred on femicide and the murder of LGBTQI+ people in South Africa—in the nation’s pavilion at the 2026 Biennale. The country’s sports, arts and culture minister, Gayton McKenzie,…