The Israeli artist selected to represent her country at the esteemed Venice Biennale art festival announced on Tuesday that she would not open the national pavilion until a cease-fire and agreement to free the hostages in Gaza had been reached.
Ruth Patir and the two curators of the displays chose to close the show because, in her own words, “I feel that the time for art is lost,” in an Instagram post.
“And so if I am given such a remarkable stage, I want to make it count,” she continued.
In February, about nine thousand people, including museum directors and artists, signed an online petition demanding that Israel be banned from the Biennale art event and charging it with committing genocide in Gaza during its conflict with Hamas.
