Nan Goldin opens exhibition with speech on Gaza war

Accompanied by loud activists, the artist Nan Goldin opened her exhibition in Berlin with a speech in which she sharply criticized Israel’s actions in the Gaza war. She also repeatedly condemned Germany’s alleged stance in the conflict.

After her speech, dozens of pro-Palestinian activists held up flags and banners in and in front of the National Gallery and chanted, among other things, for the “freedom of Palestine.” Klaus Biesenbach, director of the Neue Nationalgalerie, tried to give a counter-speech but was shouted down.

Nan Goldin begins with a pause for silence for the dead

“I have decided to use this exhibition as a platform to express my moral outrage at the genocide in Gaza and Lebanon,” Goldin said on stage. “Germany is home to the largest Palestinian diaspora in Europe. Nevertheless, protests are fought with police dogs.”

She began her almost fourteen-minute speech with a four-minute pause to remember the deaths in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and also in Israel, as she said.

“Are you afraid to hear that, Germany? This is a war against children.” Goldin, who comes from a Jewish family, also said: “My grandparents escaped the pogroms in Russia. I grew up knowing about the Nazi Holocaust. What I see in Gaza reminds me of the pogroms my grandparents escaped from.”

Among other things, Goldin said on stage: “The entire infrastructure of Palestine has been destroyed. The hospitals, the schools, the universities, the libraries. It is also a cultural genocide. Why can’t you see that, Germany?”

Her speech was accompanied by loud applause from parts of the audience. After Goldin’s speech, Biesenbach replied a few sentences on stage, but could hardly be heard because of the chanting activists. “As I mentioned in my introduction, I disagree with your opinion,” he said. “Nevertheless, I stand up for your right to express yourself freely.”

“Our work is based on fundamental values ​​that cannot be negated,” Biesenbach continued. “For us, Israel’s right to exist is beyond question. Hamas’ attack on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023 was a cruel act of terrorism that cannot be justified in any way.” He added: “At the same time, we sympathize with the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, whose suffering cannot be overlooked. “

“That is not our understanding of freedom of expression”

Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, to which the National Gallery belongs, strongly condemned Goldin’s comments and was appalled that Biesenbach was shouted down during his counter-speech. “That is not our understanding of freedom of expression.” He continued: “I find the statements made by Nan Goldin at the opening of her retrospective today to be intolerable and dangerously trivializing due to their one-sidedness.”

Biesenbach also announced after the opening: “On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition “Nan Goldin. This Will Not End Well” in the Neue Nationalgalerie, this evening after a speech by the artist there was a protest in which slogans were shouted, that do not comply with the company’s Code of Conduct. The Neue Nationalgalerie clearly distances itself from the statements of the protesters and makes it clear that it stands for freedom of expression and respectful dialogue and interaction with one another.”

The 71-year-old American Nan Goldin is one of the most renowned artists in contemporary photography. The large retrospective entitled “This Will Not End Well” can be seen from November 23rd to April 6th, 2025 in the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. The exhibition shows Goldin’s life’s work with slide shows and films, accompanied by pieces of music and soundtracks.