Israeli artists ostracized because of the war in Gaza

They’re not really welcome anymore. Israeli artists denounce the fact of no longer being able to express themselves, particularly by performing abroad. At issue: the war launched by Israel after the massacre committed by Hamas on October 7. These artists are sometimes canceled, notably for security reasons and after the proliferation of demonstrations of support for Palestine.

In her house in Haifa, in the north of Israel, the visual artist and painter Ronit, a figure in contemporary Israeli art, says that she was supposed to exhibit her works in Barcelona. The invitation was sent out before October 7. “It was to be the biggest exhibition of my life. I worked a year and a half for it”confides the artist.

Exhibition postponed “after the war”

It was the war in the Gaza Strip, following the massacre committed by Hamas, which changed the course of things. Demonstrations hostile to the Jewish state have multiplied in the Spanish city, which pushed the organizers to cancel his visit. “The curator of the exhibition told me ‘it’s too dangerous for me and too dangerous for us to exhibit your work because you are Israeli’. He told me ‘we are going to have to postpone your exhibition until after the war ‘”she testifies.

This artist feels a deep injustice because she presents herself as a peace activist, opposed to the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. “Among my friends and family, no one supports the government, what it does and its policies,” she blurted.

“I feel like I have been taken hostage by this government.”

Ronit, Israeli artist

at franceinfo

Ronit is now waiting for the war against Hamas to end, hoping that she will once again be able to exhibit her works around the world.