Düsseldorf Art School Stands by Palestinian Artist After Criticism from Jewish Groups

The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, a prestigious German art school, came under scrutiny from three Jewish groups this week over its invitation to Palestinian artist and filmmaker Basma Sharif.

Ahead of Sharif’s speech on January 21, Jewish groups published an open letter claiming without evidence that incidents in Sharif’s past were “marked by the slights of terrorism and anti-Semitism associated with Israel.” The groups subsequently called for Sharif’s event at the Düsseldorf Art Academy to be canceled.

The letter went on to condemn Sharif’s social media posts, including ones that used the term “Zionist entity” to refer to Israel, which Jewish groups claim is anti-Semitic. Although the groups did not specify which posts they were citing, Sharif shared a video of a 2024 pro-Palestinian protest on Instagram with a caption using the phrase. “The #neveragain lies are over,” her caption read. “The lie that the Zionist entity was once a democracy is over. They will decline ugly. But they will decline.”

Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents and now living in Berlin, Al Sharif has exhibited widely, with work appearing in the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the Sharjah Biennale, the Whitney Biennial and other prestigious regular art exhibitions.

In a statement to German news agency dpa, the Düsseldorf Art Academy confirmed it would not cancel Sharif’s event. After noting that “terror attacks by Hamas constitute serious crimes,” the school said Sharif was invited based on her resume and that free dialogue remained important to its student body. “At the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, we therefore allow students to take the initiative in creating a discursive space through their own activities. This also applies to dealing with controversial topics,” the school said.

art news Al-Sharif and the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf were contacted.

Germany’s art scene is still reeling from Israel’s war in Gaza, with exhibitions and opportunities canceled for artists who have openly supported Palestine over the past two years. Although tensions in Germany have eased since a ceasefire was agreed last year, debate continues, especially with the planned return of Documenta, the country’s most famous art show, in 2027.

In 2022, Documenta was rocked by serious accusations of anti-Semitism. Last year, the exhibition adopted the IHRA’s definition of anti-Semitism, which considers anti-Israel speech to be a form of anti-Semitic bigotry. The decision remains controversial and prompted Marisa Merz’s daughter to cancel an exhibition dedicated to her late mother at the Friedrich Museum, the main venue for the Kassel art fair.