A big number of South African artists heading to Venice Biennale minus Gabrielle Goliath

Specially invited by La Biennale di Venezia’s curator the late Koyo Kuoh before she passed on, 14 names have cracked the cut, but Gabrielle Goliath is not one of them after Minister McKenzie barred her from occupying the South African pavilion. She is appealing the case after the High Court in Gauteng ruled against her.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

The dust is settling. The South African art community is licking its wounds after a judge of the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria did them a devastating blow by dismissing a case brought by artist Gabrielle Goliath against Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie. This follows McKenzie’s surprising decision to overturn a decision of an independent panel appointed by the Non-Profit Organisation, Art Period, who picked Goliath among several artists who had responded to a call to participate at this year’s Venice Biennale to be on the South African pavilion.

Being picked for the biennale to exhibit on the South African pavilion is a big deal. This is because many eyes during the global art showcase in the historical city of Venice spend a substantial amount of their time and energy focussing on artists chosen to represent various countries represented there. This is because it is deemed that the countries would have chosen the best of the best artists in their respective countries to represent them at that level of art showcase.

The Venice Biennale attracts top artists from around the world as it does art patrons and collectors alike. But given the controversial decision to disallow Goliath to occupy the South Africa space paid for by government, the platform will resemble a ghost scenario. It will be empty, and therefore visitors will only be viewing an empty platform as government has chosen not to identify a replacement for the withdrawn Goliath. This is indeed a lost opportunity to make a bold artistic statement to the rest of the world at the biennale by highlighting the best of art created in South Africa today.

This is because the Venice Biennale offers an opportunity to artists representing their countries to be exposed to a global art market. No wonder, Goliath did not give up easily after learning of the Minister’s decision – denying her this life time opportunity because her installation was deemed by the minister to be controversial and therefore unsuitable to represent South Africa at such a global art event.

Goliath is appealing the judge’s decision to a higher court. This however is not as if, if the Appeal Court reaches a decision different from that of the High Court, Goliath will still be able to go to Venice. The horse has already bolted. But this is to prevent a precedent being set whereby artists in future are likely to censor themselves in order to be funded by government. But Goliath’s action is also to make appoint, not only for her sake, but also that of the art ecosystem in the country as a whole –that is that anything that smells of censorship will not be acceptable, especially in a democracy whose constitution has freedom of expression embedded in it.

However, all is not lost for South African talent. On February 24, 2026, the organisers of the Biennale, announced the full programme for this year’s global showcase, and can you believe it, there are 9 South African artists invited to participate at the biennale alongside their colleagues from other countries, specially invited to participate. Getting an opportunity like this is not to be taken for granted as it is quite a competitive environment, suggesting that with nine South African artists invited, the country is taken seriously as a vibrant contributor to the global body or work. The artists will participate based on a specific theme, thanks to the late Koyo Kouoh’s curatorial rigour. Kouoh unexpectedly passed on in 2025, fortunately, at advanced stage of her preparation for Venice 2026. The curatorial team as per earlier promise announced after Koyo’s death, saw through the plans that Kuoh had laid out before cancer took her away.

When Kouoh passed on, she unfortunately had reached an advanced stage of planning and curating the biennale. The curatorial team who worked with her have therefore seen through the plan. That it is implemented as contemplated by Kouoh.

At the time of her demise, Kouoh was working at Zeitz MOCCA in Cape Town as chief curator. She would have been therefore familiar with South Africa’s art ecosystem, including top artists populating that space.

Therefore, the South African cohort of artists invited alongside other deserving artists from around the world invited to showcase their work, are artists who not only have found their visual voice and language, but have exhibited at prestigious galleries in South Africa and around the world.

These are Billie Zangewa, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Nicholas Hlobo, Senzeni Marasela, Johannes Phokela, Berni Searle, Mmakgabo Mmapula Helen Sebidi, Buhlebezwe Siwani, Kemang Wa Lehulere.

“The 61st International Art Exhibition In Minor Keys (9 May to 22 November 2026) will feature 111 invited participants – among them, individual artists, collaborative duos, collectives, and artist-led organisations – from many different geographies and regions.

The 111 invited participants of this exhibition – among them, individual artists, collaborative duos, collectives, and artist-led organisations – hail from many geographies and regions selected by Koyo Kouoh with particular attention to resonances, affinity, and possible convergences between practices, even when far apart. In looking to artists working in Salvador, Dakar, San Juan, Beirut, Paris, or Nashville, for example, Koyo sought to envision how their ingenuity, breadth of material experimentation, and visionary ideas bear connections to other artists and movements in simultaneity. In this spirit, In Minor Keys expands upon Koyo’s relational geography of encounters with artists over her lifetime,” says La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale) in a statement release on Wednesday, February, 24, 2026.