Boycott Zabludowicz Statement
In May 2021 we applied to exhibit our VR work The Galactic Greenhouse at AORA, a virtual platform that instills a sense of calm and wellbeing through the curated meeting of art, architecture and music. Our artwork was accepted and continues to be exhibited as part of AORA IV: Urbanism, alongside another 7 artists. At the time of submitting our work, we did not see that Tiffany Zabludowicz had been invited to join the jury panel, and this was an oversight on our part that we regret not having spotted sooner. As a collective, we are signatories of the Boycott Divest Zabludowicz and oppose the Israeli occupation of Palestine, as well as the Zabludowicz Foundation’s relationship to the violation of human rights in Palestine. We found ourselves at a crossroads with how we position ourselves from hereon, knowing that the problem is much larger than this one family or person in particular. We reached out to AORA and the other artists involved to raise our dilemma and concern, and are grateful that the organisers responded with a desire to open up a dialogue in an open conversation involving curators and artists. We have been re-assured that AORA has had no affiliation, financial or otherwise, with the Zabludowicz Foundation, nor will in the future. It has been a rare opportunity as artists not to be shut down by an organisation or institution, but find peers willing to have a conversation, learn from each other, and be open to growth and not gaslighting, appeasement or tokenism. As a collective we prioritise engaging in dialogical spaces for everybody—with integrity and transparency, with and for our fellow artists, curators, galleries and colleagues.
The Growing
11 July 2021
To sign the Boycott, please visit Boycott Divest Zabludowicz.
To read a recent article on the boycott, please go to The White Pube.