Hito Steyerl, Candice Breitz, Eyal Weizman withdraw from Berlin symposium on Middle East conflict

Hito Steyerl, Candice Breitz, and Eyal Weizman have decided to withdraw from the 'Art and Activism in Times of Polarization' symposium, which is set to take place on Sunday at Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie. Steyerl was expected to give the keynote address, while Breitz and Weizman, the founder of Forensic Architecture, also opted out. Organized by Saba-Nur Cheema and Meron Mendel from the Anne Frank Education Centre, the event intends to explore the role of political art during the Middle East conflict, touching on themes like anti-Semitism, racism, artistic freedom, and solidarity. Remaining participants include Ruth Patir, representing Israel at the Venice Biennale, and Palestinian artist Muhammad Toukhy. Grassroots group Strike Germany criticized the symposium on Instagram, labeling it a 'thinly veiled' effort to mask the gallery's financial ties to the 'hard-line Zionist German state' and its stance against Palestinian advocacy. Steyerl's withdrawal followed this criticism. Meanwhile, Nan Goldin, a pro-Palestine activist, is set to open an exhibition at the same venue this weekend. Goldin expressed her lack of awareness regarding the symposium until she received a press release connecting it to her show, and she called for its cancellation, suggesting the museum organized it to safeguard its position in the German discourse and to distance itself from her political views.