In response to the recent proposed censorship and subsequent cancellation of artist Gabrielle Goliath’s nomination as the artist to represent South Africa at the 61st Venice Biennale, ART AFRICA respectfully calls upon the President to address the nation on the country’s constitutional commitments and the importance of safeguarding independent cultural governance—to rebuild confidence that freedom of speech and artistic expression remain protected in South Africa.
Dear President Cyril Ramaphosa,
I am writing to you regarding a matter of national importance.
I do not know if you will recall that we met in your office in the parliamentary precinct in Cape Town some years ago. My partner and I were responsible for designing and publishing the coffee-table book for the Shanduka Foundation (now the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation) to mark its 10-year anniversary, and for planning the commemorative event. You were gracious and expressed your gratitude for our work.
South Africa is currently in the midst of a serious arts and culture crisis. International coverage of the cancellation of the artist Gabrielle Goliath, unanimously selected by an independent panel to represent South Africa at the Venice Biennale, and the subsequent termination of the relevant agreement, is now dominating global art and news platforms, bringing the credibility of government processes, our constitutional freedoms, and South Africa’s cultural standing into question.
Minister Gayton McKenzie, as Executive Authority of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, has acted in a manner that appears to override an independent process and to compromise the arms-length principle that protects artistic freedom from political interference. I understand that the artist concerned, Gabrielle Goliath, has already written to you requesting your intervention. The continued absence of a public response from your office has intensified uncertainty across the sector and beyond.
Artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo, who were dropped from South Africa’s 2026 Venice Biennale commission (photo by ZUNIS, courtesy Gabrielle Goliath studio)
Goliath was selected to present Elegy, a work addressing gender-based, sexualised, and racialised violence, particularly in South Africa, and also the Ovaherero and Nama Genocide under German colonial rule in Namibia. The work links personal loss with broader histories of violence and solidarity. This is a subject on which you have spoken publicly and consistently, framing gender-based violence not only as a crime, but as a violation of dignity and equality that undermines social cohesion and development, principles aligned with South Africa’s constitutional commitments.
Many of us have waited for your intervention in the hope that it would secure South Africa’s credible presence at the Venice Biennale. The delay, however, risks us missing key procedural requirements for national participation. As regular global media reporting at the event, often dubbed ‘the Olympics of the artworld’, makes urgent action from your office now essential.
It has been widely reported that the cancellation followed McKenzie’s objections and proposed censorship of elements of the work relating to Gaza. South Africa’s own official stance on Palestine, including its decision to approach the International Court of Justice, underscores a national commitment to human rights and international law. Against this backdrop, the attempt to suppress or remove references to the killing of women and children in Gaza, and the subsequent termination of the agreement when changes were not accepted, raises serious concerns about censorship, administrative overreach, and constitutional principle.
I read that Gabrielle Goliath, together with curator Ingrid Masondo and her team, has appointed a legal team to file an application in the High Court in Pretoria seeking to have the Minister’s decision declared unconstitutional and overturned, with the aim of reinstating her as South Africa’s nominated artist. Timely intervention could have prevented this escalation and spared the taxpayers the costs of unnecessary litigation.
In light of our country’s constitutional commitments and the importance of safeguarding independent cultural governance, I respectfully request that you address this matter urgently and publicly, and that you act to rebuild confidence that freedom of speech and artistic expression remain protected in South Africa.
I am deeply engaged and well-connected within the global arts and culture sector as the Founder of ART AFRICA. Given Minister McKenzie’s evident lack of understanding of how major international cultural platforms operate, I would be willing to offer my support and expertise wherever it may be useful.
Your’s faithfully,
Brendon Bell-Roberts,
Founder of ART AFRICA Magazine
The OPEN LETTER to President Cyril Ramaphosa was emailed on 22nd January, 2026 to him and Spokesperson to the President, Director: Support Services (for correspondence related matters) and Personal Assistant to the President.
