Palestinian flags covered by Australian gallery after risk assessment

A tapestry featuring depictions of the Palestinian flag was partially concealed by The National Gallery of Australia after the venue undertook a security threat assessment.

According to a report in The Guardian the gallery confirmed that two Palestinian flags on a large tapestry featuring several flags sewn together along with symbols and social justice slogans had been covered with white fabric due to its “sensitive content”.

The tapestry is part of a group exhibition by Pacific Indigenous art collective SaVĀge K’lub. 

In a statement, a spokesperson for the gallery said: “We acknowledge the SaVĀge K’lub artists were placed in a difficult position, and we are grateful for their willingness to collaborate with us in a challenging and uncertain environment.

“Consideration was given to past protest activity and vandalism at the National Gallery, the volatility of the environment and reported violence, vandalism and threats in Canberra, and across Australia at the time.

“The National Gallery assessed the risks and determined what we believed was the most appropriate action, in consultation with curator Rosanna Raymond MNZM and the SaVĀge K’lub artists.”

Speaking to The Guardian, Raymond said that issues around the work were raised days before the show’s opeing, leaving her “absolutely horrified”. She said that although the collective “pushed back”, they ultimately agreed to a compromise.

“We pointed out if you’re covering the Palestinian flag, then what about the Aboriginal flag or the West Papua flag? The West Papua flag is illegal in West Papua – people are jailed for owning or flying one, but… they don’t worry about them,” she said.

“As Indigenous people we are very acutely aware of the damage of colonialism and neocolonialism, and what it looks like, but we haven’t had to experience it in such a way in the 21st Century as our brothers and sisters in Palestine, in West Papua and in the Congo.”