Shoalhaven City Council in New South Wales refused to display the Wall of Tears installation, a world-renowned artwork by American artist Phil Buehler commemorating 18,457 children killed in Gaza, citing an unacceptable safety risk to staff, visitors, and tenants. The decision followed requests for armed guards and restricted viewing conditions, as reported by The Guardian.
Security Demands and Council Rejection
The controversy began when the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery in Nowra reviewed plans to host the exhibition on Tuesday. Council officials asked the local organising group, Shoalhaven Friends of Palestine, to investigate hiring armed guards to counter risks associated with community conflict, protest, counter-protest, verbal abuse, and intimidation. Alongside security screening concerns, the council requested that organizers cut the exhibition window from eight days down to three days. Attendance was meant to be restricted to RSVPs only behind locked doors, and advertisements for the event were ordered halted to protect the gallery and council from reputational damage.
Shoalhaven City Council in Australia suddenly cancels a planned exhibition of the Wall of Tears, a memorial artwork listing the names of more than 18,000 Palestinian children killed in the Israeli genocide in Gaza, after political pressure to silence the names of the victims. pic.twitter.com/CJd4l5p7Kw
Annette Pham, a member of the organising group, expressed astonishment at the demands. “We were like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ but we still wrote back to them and said we would meet all the requirements you want,” Pham said, noting the group did not even know where to source armed guards. Despite organizers agreeing to all stipulations, Andrew Constance, the chief executive of the council and former Liberal MP, decided against hosting the exhibition over staff safety concerns. Pham later described the suggestion of armed guards for a memorial exhibition dedicated to dead children as deeply disturbing.
Contrasting Venue Receptions Across Australia
The refusal marks a rare instance of an Australian cultural venue refusing to exhibit a piece on grounds of risk rather than content, according to reporting by the Times of Palestine.
| Location | Venue | Display Date |
|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | Initial Australian exhibition | Not specified |
| Canberra | Parliament House front lawns | September |
| Perth | Western Australian state parliament | Not specified |
| Nowra | Shoalhaven Regional Gallery | Refused |
The Wall of Tears mural originally premiered in New York on January 29 to coincide with the second anniversary of the death of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old child killed in Gaza. The artwork draws directly from casualty figures accepted by Israel and reported by Guardian reporting, depicting children in graduation outfits, holding soccer balls, or posing with family members. Artist Phil Buehler expressed shock that his work could be perceived as a safety risk, stating that the danger is imposed by individuals trying to misrepresent the memorial.
Relocation and Ongoing Parliamentary Notice
Following the cancellation at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, Pham successfully rearranged for the installation to open at the Berry Uniting Church on Thursday. The artwork’s earlier display at federal Parliament House in Canberra drew visits from a number of Labor, Greens, and independent MPs. Among them was Labor MP Tony Zappia, who addressed federal parliament regarding the banner. Zappia noted that the installation serves as a sad reminder of the level of Palestinian human losses, suffering, and daily violations they endure, while much of the world looks away.
Dr. Mairead Heaney of Perth Doctors Medical Aid for Palestine, an organization that helped coordinate the exhibition stops at the Western Australian state parliament and federal Parliament House, observed the contrasting receptions the artwork has received from civic institutions nationwide.
