Gabrielle Goliath’s Elegy, the artwork pulled from the South African pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, is now on display at Ibraaz’s main site in London through Jan. 17, 2027. The work was cancelled in January 2026 by Gayton McKenzie, South Africa’s sport, arts and culture minister, before later finding a temporary home at an off-site Venice venue and now a longer run in the British capital.
Elegy is part of a series Goliath has developed in performance and video for more than a decade, addressing femicide and the murder of LGBTQ+ people in South Africa. The piece features a succession of women standing to sing a single mournful note, each one’s breath giving out as the next steps in to continue it.
The Venice Cancellation And Its Fallout
The version of Elegy prepared for the Venice Biennale expanded on that format to address rape culture in South Africa, the Herero and Nama genocide carried out in Namibia in the early 20th century, and the death of Hiba Abu Nada, a Palestinian poet killed in an Israeli airstrike in October 2023.
McKenzie called the inclusion of the Abu Nada commemoration “divisive” when he explained the decision to pull the piece from the South African pavilion, according to the Art Newspaper. Goliath later sought to have the project reinstated through the courts, but a court dismissed her attempt.
Despite losing its place in the official pavilion, Elegy did not disappear from Venice entirely. The private foundation Ibraaz, working with the social justice charity Bertha Foundation, staged the work at Chiesa di Sant’Antonin, an off-site venue, running from the Biennale’s opening in May through the end of July.
What Visitors Can See In London
The London presentation of Gabrielle Goliath Elegy marks the work’s most extended public run since the Venice controversy began. It opens alongside Cosmic Breath, a 2023/26 sound installation by Lebanese-American artist Joe Namy made up of ten megaphones playing the adhan, or Islamic call to prayer.
Namy’s piece was originally commissioned for the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah in 2023 but had not been shown again since, despite efforts to place it with other institutions, according to the Art Newspaper.
Why Ibraaz Chose To Show It
Hammad Nasar, Ibraaz’s director of programmes and content, framed the pairing as consistent with the organization’s mission since it opened last October.
“When Ibraaz opened last October, we had this coinage as a brave space for art, culture and ideas. Well, what does that look like, and what does that mean? Brave does not mean: let’s poke you in the eye with a sharp stick. Brave means paying attention to whose voices need to be heard,” Nasar said, according to the Art Newspaper.
Ibraaz has built a track record of exhibiting artists and works that other institutions have avoided, particularly on politically sensitive subjects including Palestine and Islamophobia.
What’s Next
Elegy remains on view at Ibraaz in London through Jan. 17, 2027, giving visitors an extended window to see the piece that was removed from one of the art world’s most prominent international showcases. No further legal action or government response has been reported since the court dismissed Goliath’s bid to have the work reinstated in the South African pavilion.
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