Nan Goldin opens Berlin Exhibition with bold anti-'Israel' speech
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US photographer and activist Nan Goldin highlights the maltreatment of Germany's large Palestinian diaspora, pointing out that protests are often met with a crackdown.
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Nan Goldin speaks at the opening of her exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie Museum in Berlin, on Friday, November 22, 2024. (AP)
US photographer and activist Nan Goldin used her speech at the opening of her exhibition in Berlin to denounce the Israeli actions in Gaza. At the Neue Nationalgalerie on Friday, Goldin, 71, stated that she aimed to use her retrospective as a platform to express her "moral outrage" over the ongoing genocide in Gaza and Lebanon.
Goldin, who is of Jewish descent, drew a personal connection to the situation, saying, "My grandparents escaped pogroms in Russia. I was brought up knowing about the Nazi Holocaust. What I see in Gaza reminds me of the pogroms that my grandparents escaped."
American photographer and activist Nan Goldin on Germany's silence on Gaza genocide:
— Palestine Highlights (@PalHighlight) November 24, 2024
"The UN is talking about genocide. Even the Pope is talking about genocide. Yet, we're not supposed to call it a genocide. Are you afraid to hear this, Germany?" pic.twitter.com/wI4OkE9ctn
She also emphasized that criticism of "Israel" should not be equated with antisemitism, speaking out against the ongoing forcible displacement and devastation in Gaza.
'Free, Fee Palestine"
Goldin also took aim at Germany, accusing the country of overlooking Islamophobia. She remarked, "Germany is home of the largest Palestinian diaspora in Europe. Yet protests are met with police dogs and deportation and stigmatization."
She exited the stage to loud chants of “free, free Palestine.”
Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which oversees the Neue Nationalgalerie, strongly criticized Goldin’s remarks. He stated, “This does not correspond to our understanding of freedom of expression.”
Biesenbach, while expressing disagreement with Goldin, upheld her right to express herself freely. In a statement released after the exhibition's opening, he stated that the gallery distanced itself from the protesters’ views and “clarifies that it stands for freedom of expression and respectful dialogue and interaction with each other.”
It is worth noting that Neue Nationalgalerie’s lifetime retrospective of Nan Goldin, titled "This Will Not End Well," offers an extensive overview of her work, featuring slideshows and films accompanied by music.
This is unfolding as "Israel" continues to wage genocide on Gaza for over a year, with more than 44,000 Palestinians—primarily women and children—killed. Simultaneously, "Israel" is carrying out a brutal aggression against Lebanon, resulting in the killing of at least 4,000 civilians to date.
