The two open letters that have ripped the arts world apart

Mass resignations, boardroom brawls, angry donors, competing open letters and artist pitted against artist. These are just some of the ways the Israel-Hamas war is filtering down into Australia’s high-powered arts world.

Like other institutions in Australia, including sport and the media, the arts community has been split by Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, and Israel’s subsequent bombing campaign and invasion of Gaza.

Alana Kushnir resigned from the ACCA board last month following complaints about her social media posts.Credit: Justin McManus

The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) has experienced boardroom turmoil related to the conflict. One of its board members, Alana Kushnir – a well-known arts lawyer and curator who has served on the board since 2021 – resigned in late October. People familiar with the matter, not authorised to speak publicly, said Kushnir’s resignation came after a number of artists associated with ACCA complained to the board about social media posts she had made. The posts were critical of artists who had made statements supportive of Palestine and condemned Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

In a statement to this masthead, ACCA’s board of directors confirmed they had been approached by artists concerned about Kushnir’s posts. “ACCA was made aware of Alana’s activities on social media by a range of artists and members in the arts community,” the board said. “As an organisation committed to supporting artists, the ACCA board would always be concerned about any behaviour that could weaken that relationship of trust.

“ACCA’s board convened a number of internal discussions and meetings related to social media activity and the board of directors’ code of conduct. Alana’s decision to resign followed these discussions.”

In her resignation letter, Kushnir argued that allegations she had attacked or bullied artists were offensive. “I am also deeply concerned by the lack of transparency that you have demonstrated in addressing allegations that have been made about me,” she wrote.

“If there are concerns about my pulling up of artists, and those who support them … or if there are complaints about my conduct made by artists, it is imperative that these concerns be brought to the attention of the entire board for thorough assessment.”

Kushnir said she was concerned about the rise of antisemitism in the arts. “I cannot continue to be part of an organisation that fails to address such a significant issue as antisemitism when it stares it in the face,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, an open letter titled “Stop the genocide in Gaza” addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Arts Minister Tony Burke has been signed by over 1000 artists, including Miles Franklin winners Tara June Winch, Jennifer Down, Melissa Lucashenko and Michelle de Kretser, comedian Nazeem Hussain, five-time Archibald finalist Abdul Abdullah and actors Meyne Wyatt and Osamah Sami. The letter called for “an immediate ceasefire, an investigation into alleged war crimes on Palestinians in Gaza ... and an end to Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid regime”.

“The armed attacks on October 7 by Palestinian people cannot be de-contextualised from apartheid, extreme oppression, vicious brutality against protests and the open embrace by the Netanyahu government of policies that openly aim to exterminate the Palestinian people and their struggle for freedom,” the letter read. “The appropriate response to these and all attacks, is investigation and accountability, and addressing the root cause, namely, an end to the settler colonial regime once and for all.”

Arnold Bloch Leibler has terminated its relationship with the Melbourne arts precinct Collingwood Yards.Credit: Tom Ross

A separate open letter, written partly in response to the first, has been signed by over 500 Jewish artists and academics. The letter emphasised the Hamas attack on October 7 and suggested that artists who had signed onto the first letter had attempted to “justify” the massacre of Israelis by refusing to explicitly address and condemn Hamas’ actions.

The original letter was first published by literary journal Overland, then reproduced on the website of the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA), the peak body for visual arts in Australia. The day after it was published, NAVA received an email from a partner at the law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler (ABL) which provides pro bono support to a number of arts organisations, including NAVA. Mark Leibler, the firm’s sole senior partner, is a well-known Jewish community figure and supporter of Israel. He also serves as the national chairman of the Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council.

In the email the law firm said it was “disgusted” with the open letter and described it as being “laced with misinformation, bias, false moral equivalence and contextual justification for the deliberate brutality of Hamas terrorists”.

ABL asked NAVA to immediately withdraw its support for the open letter, and said that if they did not do so, the firm would end its partnership with the arts organisation and no longer make its services available. NAVA ultimately did not withdraw its support for the open letter. In a follow-up email, ABL confirmed it would no longer work with NAVA. NAVA confirmed to this masthead that its relationship with ABL had ended.

ABL has also terminated its relationship with one of Melbourne’s most high-profile arts precincts, Collingwood Yards, following an incident on its premises. The firm has had a long-term involvement with the precinct, having provided pro bono legal advice worth over $1 million, cash donations and the expertise of partners on the organisation’s board.

Collingwood Yards is home to a number of artist studios, galleries, arts collectives and venues. On October 23, Indigenous arts collective This Mob, which operates out of Collingwood Yards, held a banner-painting workshop at Hope St Radio – a fellow tenant and wine bar located at the premises. The purpose of the event was to create signs for an upcoming pro-Palestine rally. A photo taken at Hope St Radio of a poster describing Israelis as “colonising dumb white dogs” went viral on social media the following day, and attracted backlash and condemnation.

According to five sources familiar with the matter, Collingwood Yards staff drafted a statement on the incident and sought the input of a board member, who is also a partner at ABL. A statement prepared by staff at ABL was then sent to the organisation’s board. The statement opened with a description of Hamas’ attack on October 7, and distanced Collingwood Yards from its tenants – This Mob and Hope St Radio – and accused them of allowing antisemitic material to be produced on-site.

The board resolved not to endorse the firm’s statement and ultimately issued one that did not reference the Hamas attacks or specifically refer to the tenants involved but stated the organisation did not tolerate antisemitism in any form. In response, Mark Leibler wrote to the chair of Collingwood Yards declaring the law firm was ending its association with the precinct.

“From what I understand, one of my partners was asked for advice on the appropriate wording of a statement you planned to issue in response to the banner,” Leibler wrote. “However, Collingwood Yards proceeded to issue a statement noting that antisemitism is unacceptable but made no mention of the context in which the banner had been produced and promoted, namely the torture, murder and kidnapping of Israeli Jews, as though it had never happened and had no relevance to the offensive behaviour facilitated by your tenants.

“I and my partners are deeply disappointed that Collingwood Yards was not prepared to demonstrate the requisite moral clarity and condemn Hamas and the atrocities it committed on 7 October.”

The involvement of ABL in the preparation of the statement caused concern among sections of the Collingwood Yards community. Half of the organisation’s full-time staff have quit, a number of tenants have expressed their concern to management, while others are considering leaving.

As well as no longer providing legal services to Collingwood Yards, ABL asked for signage referencing the firm to be removed from the premises and has removed its representative from the board. Collingwood Yards has also lost an estimated $200,000 in sponsorship fees and donations since the incident. Some artists have quit their residencies at the premises.

In response to questions on the issue, ABL provided its correspondence with both NAVA and Collingwood Yards.

Collingwood Yards declined to comment for this story.

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