Artists Nicholas Galanin and Merritt Johnson have asked the National Gallery of Art in Washington to remove a sculpture of theirs from its exhibit in protest of US plans to provide funding to Israel, Artnet reports.
The sculpture entitled “Creation with her Children” (“Creation with Her Children”, 2017)is one of the most significant works of art in the Earth Carries Our Ancestors exhibit, featuring contemporary Native American art.
“It is with deep regret that we must request that our work be removed from the National Gallery due to the US government’s funding of Israel’s military assault and genocide against the Palestinian people – the artists write on Instagram. – We call on the federal government to demand an immediate ceasefire, cut military aid to Israel and lift the siege of Gaza.“
Galanin and Johnson’s work is a large sculpture of a child whose 17th-century dress has been cut open to reveal jagged animal heads. According to the artists, this symbolizes “hundreds of years of colonization, corporatization, commodification and subjugation“.
A spokesman for the National Gallery of Art said that in accordance with the request of the artists, the museum will uninstall the work, Artnet adds.
