Groups of activists gathered outside London’s Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) to show their support for the Gaza Biennale and protest the ICA’s sponsorship ties with Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The streets surrounding the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in London were filled with sounds and projections on Tuesday night. Protesters gathered at the first event between Gaza Biennial in England. Palestinian resistance and creativity were made visible by projecting artworks on the walls of the ICA at the Gaza Biennial Despite the attack of the Israeli army.
Gaza Biennial is a global project and its aim is to Show Palestinian art both on the beleaguered Strip and in galleries internationally. The exhibition features works by more than 60 Palestinian artists, many of whom continue to create under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions in Gaza.
Tuesday’s protest also worked as a form of resistance against ICA’s links Bloomberg Philanthropieswhich financed the New Contemporaries exhibition at the ICA the same night. Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), led by billionaire Bloomberg Philanthropies Mike Bloomberg“has been directly involved in facilitating infrastructure” Settlements in the West Bank“.
These settlements Deemed illegal by the International Court of JusticeIt became the center of global protests against Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
Palestinian artists are in resistance
For those attending the demonstration, this action is not just about opposing the ICA’s sponsorship, but also Amplify the voices of Palestinian artists those who are determined to share their stories despite great odds. As part of the Gaza Biennial’s mission, the artists decided to continue their work as an act of resistance against Israel’s military assault on Gaza, with the belief that “Palestinian art transcends all besieged spaces.”
The biennial is held both in Gaza and at partner locations around the world. Although Gaza artists face great difficulties in taking their works out of the besieged area, Biennial garnered international supportand groups like this White PubeCultural Workers Against Genocide and Workers for a Free Palestine participated in the initiative.
This protest follows a growing wave of global calls for accountability. Last year, dozens of filmmakers asked the New York Film Festival: Bloomberg to cut ties with Philanthropies For its participation in financing a program in which officials from more than 40 West Bank settlements were trained.
