Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie claimed he stopped Gabrielle Goliath's work from being exhibited at the 2026 Venice Biennale because it was backed by a 'foreign power' pushing an agenda on Gaza. Here's what actually happened.

Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie's claim that his cancellation of artist Gabrielle Goliath's work selected for the 2026 Venice Biennale was a "patriotic" act intended to protect the South African Pavilion from being hijacked by a "foreign power" pushing its own "geopolitical message about the actions of Israel in Gaza" appears to be a red herring.

Daily Maverick has evidence that the "foreign power" McKenzie refers to -- which is actually Qatar Museums, a cultural institution -- had lost interest in purchasing a video recording of Elegy, Goliath's work that was to be performed in Venice, well before the minister sought to interfere in its content on 22 December.

According to a chronology of events that Daily Maverick has pieced together through several WhatsApp exchanges between key players and interviews, a representative of Qatar Museums had conversations with the organising team for the South African Pavilion in early December about purchasing the artwork, or works, selected by South Africa. This conversation was initiated -- almost in passing, according to insiders -- in November 2025 during the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, when no artist had yet been selected.

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Following the selection committee's internal confirmation on 6 December of Goliath as...