Who is ANGA?
ANGA is an international group of artists, curators, writers, and cultural workers who have come together to call for the exclusion of Israel at the Venice Biennale. We invite you to share the ethical and political position expressed in the open letter to the Venice Biennale and to be part of our address. ANGA is a collective with no sole authors. This open letter is authored by all who sign it. We commit to the power of collective action and the principles of shared responsibility. The more of us there are, the more of us there are.
Is calling to exclude Israel from the Biennale anti-Jewish or antisemitic?
A national pavilion at Venice is an official cultural representation of the state in question. Calling for the exclusion of Israel from the Biennale is not anti-Jewish or antisemitic, neither is criticising the state of Israel for its actions. All 193 Member States of the United Nations are responsible to obey international law and Israel cannot be the only exception. Asking for the exclusion of Israel's state-funded pavilion is a matter of holding an apartheid state, presently on trial at the International Court of Justice for plausible genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, accountable. ANGA's campaign is about addressing human rights, equality, and justice, rather than targeting individuals based on their religion or ethnicity.
Isn’t art a bridge between cultures, and between people?
A bridge cannot connect an apartheid state occupier with those it occupies. Equal partners can perhaps strive to connect by a bridge, but in the asymmetrical context of an occupier that forces degraded terms of existence on the occupied, there can be no bridge. The reduction of art's function to that of a mere "bridge" is a deceptive facade, ultimately catering to agendas of diplomacy and power. The systematic destruction of cultural institutions and essential infrastructure in Palestinian territories undermines any semblance of cultural exchange and perpetuates a cycle of injustice and inequality. In the face of such grave offenses, mere artistic expressions cannot bridge the chasm of suffering and loss experienced by Palestinians under occupation. No "bridge" can connect Palestinians to the libraries, galleries, mosques, bookshops, and schools that Israel has destroyed and eradicated in Gaza. Art cannot transcend the contexts in which it exists.
Can I contact ANGA?
Yes, email us at artnotgenocidealliance@proton.me