National Gallery of Australia Criticised for Covering Palestinian Symbols in Art Installation

A supplied image obtained on Feb. 21, 2025 of a dress rehearsal for the art installation, "SaVĀge K’lub: Te Paepae Aora’i – Where the Gods Cannot be Fooled," at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. AAP Image/Supplied by National Gallery of Australia

The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) has faced criticism from the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) after covering two Palestinian symbols featured in an art installation.

The exhibit, named “SaVĀge K’lub: Te Paepae Aora’i—Where the Gods Cannot be Fooled,” features several mannequins wearing uniforms, as well as a wall hanging.

The installation is decorated with the Taiwanese flag, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, the West Papua flag, and previously the Palestinian flag.

White peace flags had been used to cover a “free Palestine” T-shirt that was part of a wall hanging, as well as a free Palestine fist patch and a protest pin, according to the National Gallery.

They were on display for a full 10 days before a decision, in consultation with artists, to cover the material due to “security risks.”

“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 Gallery said in a statement.

“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.”

Federation Calls the Act ‘Censorship’

Rateb Jneid, president of AFIC, said it was part of an ongoing trend to brand Palestinian symbols and culture as “controversial” or “divisive.”

“Palestinians are not an abstract concept. They exist. Their history exists. Their struggle exists,” Jneid stated.

He went on to highlight that public institutions across Australia were bowing to external pressures that led to the erasure of Palestinian identity.

“This censorship sends a clear message. Palestinians are not allowed to represent themselves. Their culture is to be erased. Their supporters are to be silenced,” he added.

AFIC demanded the Gallery restore the artwork to its original form.

The incident comes after a coalition of Muslim organisations and leaders issued an open letter on Feb. 18, condemning what they called “selective outrage” regarding an incident involving two Sydney nurses.

The nurses had boasted about harming and refusing to treat Jewish patients, which sparked swift public condemnation.

Both health practitioners were immediately dismissed from their position and banned from practicing across the country while authorities combed through medical records to determine if previous patients had been harmed.

However, the Muslim group said the outrage from politicians and the media ignored Israeli actions in Gaza, which they viewed as a form of double standards.

“We condemn the hypocrisy over the nurses’ controversy,” the letter read.