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Artmajeur DECEMBER 15, 2023 - by Selena Mattei

1,000+ ARTISTS BOYCOTT BRISTOL'S ARNOLFINI OVER PALESTINIAN CENSORSHIP ROW

Over one thousand artists, including prominent figures like Ben Rivers and Brian Eno, have boycotted Bristol's Arnolfini Centre, accusing it of censoring Palestinian culture by cancelling events from the Palestine Film Festival. The artists demand a commitment to freedom of expression from Arnolfini's leadership and have pledged not to engage with the Centre until changes are made.

In a sweeping show of solidarity, over a thousand artists and cultural influencers, including prominent figures like Ben Rivers, Brian Eno, Adham Faramawy, and Tai Shani, have collectively endorsed a newly penned open letter. This letter sharply criticizes the Arnolfini International Centre for Contemporary Arts in Bristol for what they allege to be the "muzzling of Palestinian cultural expression." This stance comes in the wake of the Centre's decision to cancel two key events slated for the Palestine Film Festival. The artists have pledged an embargo against collaborating with Arnolfini, refusing to participate in its events, and they encourage their peers to join this boycott.

In a contentious move, Arnolfini scrapped the screening of Farha (2021), a film by Jordanian-Palestinian filmmaker Darin J. Sallam, set against the backdrop of the Nakba, a period marked by the large-scale displacement of Palestinians in 1948. The screening was to include a discussion with Palestinian writer and doctor Ghada Karmi. Additionally, a poetry event featuring rapper and activist Lowkey was cancelled. These programs have since been relocated: Farha to the Watershed arts charity and the poetry session to Sparks Bristol, a combination department store and arts hub.

On November 20, a group of over 2,300 cultural figures signed an open letter denouncing Arnolfini's action. In response, Arnolfini defended its decision, citing its charitable status as a barrier to participating in what might be seen as political activities. This rationale was quickly criticized, especially in light of Arnolfini's history of organizing events with political undertones, like a fundraiser for Ukraine disaster relief.

The open letter emphasized the inconsistency in Arnolfini's approach, pointing out that since its inception in 1961, it has hosted a variety of events on topics such as decolonization, the Black Lives Matter movement, feminism, gender liberation, and the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, without conflicting with its charitable purpose.

The letter further accuses this incident as part of a wider trend of censorship and suppression within the arts community, highlighting several recent cancellations of events and exhibitions that either supported ceasefire efforts or criticized the Israeli government. Notably, it references the cancellation of a conference on antisemitism and racism co-organized by Jewish South African artist Candice Breitz and the halting of a planned talk by Palestinian artist Emily Jacir in Berlin.

The letter concludes with a call for the Arnolfini leadership to publicly affirm their commitment to unfettered freedom of expression, including on Palestinian issues, and to engage constructively with Bristol's arts community to redress the caused damage. Until such commitments are realized, the signatories have resolved to boycott cooperation and participation in any Arnolfini events.