German Biennale cancels curator's show for pro-Palestine stance
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The Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie, a contemporary photo exhibition that was due to be held in the German cities of Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Heidelberg, in March 2024, has been canceled after Bangladeshi curator Shahidul Alam posted pro-Palestine content.
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Bangladeshi photojournalist and social activist Shahidul Alam speaks during an event on Challenges of Contemporary Photojournalism in Mumbai ,India, Thursday, June 27, 2019. (AP)
The Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie, a contemporary photo exhibition that was due to be held in the German cities of Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Heidelberg, in March 2024, has been canceled after Bangladeshi curator Shahidul Alam posted content in support of Gaza and Palestine amid the Israeli genocide.
Alam, a photojournalist who is known for his activism and encouragement of freedom of expression, has shared posts of the Gaza genocide, comparing it to the Holocaust and blaming "Israel" for the attacks. The exhibition's founding cities' found this to be "anti-semitic" and said their relationship of trust with the photojournalist has been "severely damaged".
The organizers of the exhibition have reportedly discussed the sensitivity of the situation, urging Alam to retract his statements due to Germany's Nazi past and its acclaimed responsibility to ensure the security of "Israel". Alam, on the other hand, continued sharing similar pro-Palestine sentiments and content.
Drik and Pathshala remember Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian journalist assassinated by Israel; with admiration and respect. RIP Shireen. Photo: Shahidul Alam/Drik/Majority World #Israel #Palestine #JournalismIsNotACrime #murder #Apartheid pic.twitter.com/ItUS5eocPK
— Shahidul Alam (@shahidul) May 21, 2022
Curators Tanzim Wahab and Munem Wasif, who were also present during talks with Alam, have chosen to withdraw from the exhibition, mentioning that "they did not want to continue working on it without him".
"Blinkered Position on Freedom of Expression.”
Similarly, The Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany, canceled part of a planned group show after a curator’s engagement with pro-Palestine content on social media. Anaïs Duplan, who is a writer, professor, and curator, posted screenshots of an email on Instagram sent from Museum Folkwang director Peter Gorschlüter stating that the institution decided to “suspend” his “collaboration”.
Duplan took to Instagram to reply, saying “It should go without saying that Afrofuturism and liberation struggles around the world go hand in hand, as do Afrofuturism and antisemitism, Afrofuturism and islamophobia, and Afrofuturism and all other struggles for collective wellbeing”.
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