Gaza Biennial

Protest in support of Gaza Biennial outside London's ICA highlights Palestinian resilience
Activist groups gathered outside the London Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) to show their support for the Gaza Biennial and protest the ICA's sponsorship links with Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The streets around the London Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) were filled with voices and projections on Tuesday evening as protesters gathered for the first event of the Gaza Biennial in the UK. At the Gaza Biennial, artworks were projected onto the walls of the ICA, making Palestinian resilience and creativity visible despite the Israeli military attack.

The Gaza Biennial is a global project that aims to showcase Palestinian art both in the besieged Strip and in international galleries. It features works by more than 60 Palestinian artists, many of whom continue to create in Gaza under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions. Tuesday's protest also served as a form of resistance against the ICA's ties to Bloomberg Philanthropies, which is funding the New Contemporaries exhibition taking place at the ICA that same evening. According to the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), Bloomberg Philanthropies, run by billionaire Mike Bloomberg, has been "directly involved in facilitating settlement infrastructure in the West Bank."
These settlements, deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice, have been at the center of global protests against Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Palestinian artists in an act of resistance

For those attending the demonstration, this act was not only about opposing the ICA's sponsorship, but about amplifying the voices of Palestinian artists who are determined to share their stories despite overwhelming odds. As part of the Gaza Biennial's mission, the artists have pledged to continue their work as an act of resistance against the Israeli military assault on Gaza, with the belief that "Palestinian art cuts across all besieged spaces."
The Biennale itself is held both in Gaza and at partner venues around the world. Although Gazan artists face enormous difficulties in getting their work out of the besieged strip, the Biennale has garnered international support, with groups including The White Pube, Cultural Workers Against Genocide and Workers for a Free Palestine joining the initiative.

This protest has come after a growing wave of global calls for accountability. Last year, dozens of filmmakers called on the New York Film Festival to cut ties with Bloomberg Philanthropies over its involvement in funding a program that trained officials from more than 40 West Bank settlements.
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