On January 22, artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo filed a founding affidavit in the High Court of South Africa in Pretoria, stating their intention to challenge South African Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie's unilateral decision to terminate the video and performance series, Elegy, at its national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. McKenzie had attempted to characterize Goliath's piece, which would have centered Palestinians enduring genocide in Gaza, as "highly divisive" and not aligned with South Africa's interests - even though the country famously brought a legal case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague over allegations of genocide in Gaza.