The New Dark Age

Brilliant news!

Thanks to your commitment and thanks to the tenacity and care of a group of artists in Bristol, Arnolfini gallery have published a detailed apology for cancelling events curated by Bristol Palestine Film Festival back in November, and have committed to reparative work.

You can read our report on what happened here – including statements by Bristol Artists for Palestine, The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), and of course Arnolfini’s statement.

The story has been reported in Arts News, Arts Professional and Bristol Cable, and we believe the repercussions will be felt far and wide. Bristol Palestine Film Festival’s statement can be found here.

Our official statement:

‘We welcome Arnolfini’s statement and applaud the hard work of those involved in the mediation process.

We hope this sends a clear message to other cultural institutions.  Amid a repressive political and media climate, cultural institutions are too often failing in their duty to uphold freedom of expression and to protect against discrimination.

At a time of unprecedented dehumanisation of Palestinian people, artists and audiences expect cultural spaces to amplify voices that articulate the realities of Palestinian experiences and aspirations, as vital contributions to cultural understanding and to our shared humanity’.

With love and solidarity.