Artists Nicholas Galanin (Lingít/Unangax) and Merritt Johnson withdrew a work from an exhibition of contemporary art of the indigenous peoples of America in National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, in protest of the US government’s military aid to Israel. The museum is now in the process of removing the work, an NGA spokesperson told The Art Newspaper.

The artists’ announcement was released on November 3, a day after the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed a bill providing $14.3 billion in military aid to Israel (the bill is not expected to pass US Senate). The US aid package comes after Israel launched a series of ground and air strikes on the Gaza Strip – which have reportedly killed more than 9,700 people, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry cited by BBC News – in retaliation for the terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7, in which approximately 1,400 people were killed and approximately 220 were taken hostage.

The announcement of the artists

“It is with deep regret that we must request that our work be removed from [NGA] because of the US government’s funding of Israel’s military aggression and genocide against the Palestinian peopleGalanin and Johnson wrote in their statement, posted on social media. “We call on the federal government to demand an immediate ceasefire, cut off military aid to Israel and lift the siege of Gaza».

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