People stand in front of the closed Israeli national pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art fair in Venice, Italy. Photo: AP
The artist chosen to represent Israel at the prestigious Venice Biennale art fair said on Tuesday that she was refusing to open the national pavilion until there was a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.
"I feel that the time for art is lost," Ruth Patir wrote in a statement on Instagram, explaining why she and the exhibits' two curators had decided to shutter the show.
