Gabrielle Goliath to independently present the cancelled South Africa Pavilion show in Venice

In response to the unexpected cancellation of the South African Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, Gabrielle Goliath will independently present her acclaimed performance project Elegy, coinciding with the Biennale. Realised as a multi-channel video installation, the work will be staged at the Chiesa di Sant’Antonin in Castello, Venice, from 5 May 2026. Supported by the Bertha Foundation and in partnership with Ibraaz, this exhibition marks the first part of a two-venue presentation, concluding in London in October 2026.

Gabrielle Goliath © Anthea Pokroy

Elegy is a long-term performance project that Gabrielle Goliath has staged across South Africa and internationally for over a decade, in cities including Johannesburg, Cape Town, São Paulo, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, and Basel. The work functions as a ritual lament, addressing interconnected forms of loss and violence, from femicide and rape culture in South Africa, to the erasure of Ovaherero and Nama life-worlds in Namibia, and the ongoing displacement and killing of Palestinian civilians, including women and children in Gaza. Through song, breath, and shared presence, Elegy creates a space of tenuous kinship and collective reflection, imagining alternative possibilities for connection and care.

The Venice presentation will feature three new suites of Elegy performances, commemorating specific lives affected by violence and oppression. Among those honoured are South African student Ipeleng Christine Moholane, two murdered Nama women ancestors, and Palestinian poet Heba Abunada, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis, Gaza, in October 2023. These performances are arranged across eight monumental video screens, blending light, sound, and collective voices to immerse participants in a shared experience of mourning, remembrance, and care.

Gabrielle Goliath describes the exhibition as “a sacred chamber in which to sound a reparative work of loving and longing…a black femme chorus, daring to think and dream the world differently.” Lina Lazaar, Founder and Director of Ibraaz, emphasises that Elegy “holds memory, care and connection in the face of loss,” noting that presenting it in Venice now is both urgent and necessary. The exhibition coincides with renewed global attention to femicide, LGBTIQ+ rights, and the defence of imperilled Palestinian lives, highlighting the work’s continued relevance on the international stage.

Elegy will be presented at Ibraaz in London from October 2026.

Date: 5 May – 31 July 2026. Location: Chiesa di Sant’Antonin, Salizada S. Antonin, Castello, 3477, Venice. Opening hours: Tues-Sun, 10am - 6pm. elegyinvenice.com