Agency Report –
Berlin – The winner of the Berlin Academy of Arts’ Käthe Kollwitz Prize has rejected the award, citing what he calls “a disturbing trend of censorship in Germany” when it comes to anyone who voices support for Palestinians.
The Berlin Academy of Arts revealed on Thursday that no prize would be awarded as a result of the rejection of the award by multimedia artist Fareed Armaly, who had been selected by the prize jury.
Armaly, who is from the US but lives in Berlin, said on Thursday that the academy did not explain his reasons for rejecting the award in the institution’s statement, and published his August 7 letter to the academy on his website.
In the letter, he wrote that there has been a “highly politicized, reactionary shift” in official German cultural policy over the past several years aimed at silencing the voices of those who stand up for the rights of Palestinians.
Armaly, who has Arab roots, published the letter on his website. He describes “structural racism” and “intimidation” as well as “complacency and self-censorship” on the part of liberal cultural institutions.
Armaly described himself as deeply honoured to be selected for the award, but wrote that he cannot align himself with “any institution operating under the current cultural policy framework of the German government.”
In a letter in response, Academy President Manos Tsangaris told Armaly that he respected the artist’s decision to turn down the prize.
At the same time, he contended that the academy, as a community of artists from Germany and abroad, independently represents the interests of art in society and is opposed to any kind of censorship, self-censorship or political influence.
The prize named after German artist Käthe Kollwitz has been awarded annually to visual artists since 1960 and was most recently endowed with €12,000 ($12,400). Candida Höfer (2024), Sandra Vásquez de la Horra (2023), Nan Goldin (2022), Maria Eichhorn (2021) and Timm Ulrichs (2020) have been honoured in recent years.
The prize winners are usually selected the year before the prize is awarded.
