Aa
  • Read, Watch, Listen
  • TJI Series
  • Community Action
  • Events
  • Zedi
Follow us and continue the conversation
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube
Test yourself with the TJI Quiz!

Adjust size of text

Aa

Follow us and continue the conversation

  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube

Your saved articles

You haven't saved any articles

What are you looking for?

Original reporting, insightful analysis and diverse views, delivered straight to your inbox

  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube
Your support fuels our mission to inform, entertain and inspire.

The Jewish Independent is bound by the Standards of Practice of the Australian Press Council. If you believe the Standards may have been breached, you may approach The Jewish Independent or make a complaint to the Australian Press Council in writing at www.presscouncil.org.au. The Council may also be contacted on 1800 025 712.

  • Our Story
  • Contact us
  • Our Team
  • Support us
  • Guidelines
  • Pitch your idea
  • Republishing us
  • Community Action
  • Our Awards
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube
Aboriginal FlagTorres Strait Islanders Flag

The Jewish Independent acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and strive to honour their rich history of storytelling in our work and mission.

© The Jewish Independent 2026All Rights Reserved
Website design and development by Your Creative, MelbourneTerms & ConditionsPrivacy Policy
HomeRead, Watch, ListenArts & Culture
FeatureArts & CultureAustralia

‘A climate of fear’: New gallery to platform silenced artists

As Australia's art spaces grow increasingly hostile to Jewish creatives, Goldstone Gallery aims to provide a sense of safety and protect freedom of expression and tolerance within the sector.
Ruby Kraner-Tucci
Print this

Goldstone Gallery Artistic Director Nina Sanadze with Joshua Dabelstein, the gallery’s current writer-in-residence, at the opening of This Is Navalny on February 16, 2025 (Image: Ramak Bamsar).

Published: 20 February 2025

Last updated: 24 February 2025

When sculptor Nina Sanadze was attacked in the mass doxing of the 600-strong Jewish creatives WhatsApp group last year, it only made her more determined to speak out.

The Melbourne-based visual artist experienced harassment, cancellation and defamation, losing both her studio space and her representation. She knows many other Jewish artists have had similar experiences and wants to ensure they – and other artists subject to political boycotts – are not silenced.

The result of her advocacy is Goldstone Gallery, a contemporary fine art space dedicated to amplifying censored, silenced, cancelled and muted voices, which officially opened last week.

"My experience is that the infrastructure – galleries, grants, residencies, museums – are no longer available to many Jewish creatives."

Nina Sanadze

Goldstone Gallery is named after Lance Sergeant Aaron Goldstone who fought and died in WWI, and whose parents ran their grocery business at the Collingwood gallery site. It aims to provide a sense of safety and protect freedom of expression and tolerance within the Australian arts community.

The gallery's inaugural exhibition, This Is Navalny, neatly fits this brief: the first solo show of photojournalist Evgeny Feldman, who has been exiled in Latvia since 2022, which pays tribute to Russia’s opposition leader and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny.

'This Is Navalny' marks one year since Alexei Navalny’s tragic death (Source: TJI).

Holocaust survivor and artist Olga Horak's posthumous exhibition In Her Light is slated to follow This Is Navalny, while the third show will involve international artists from China, Iran and Korea who have been cancelled for making work as dissidents. Programming for a large show to commemorate the October 7 Hamas attacks will feature later in the year.

Initially, Sanadze wanted Goldstone Gallery to be run by a collective of Jewish artists, but she quickly realised too many were afraid to have their name publicly associated with such an institution – so she took on the role of artistic director alone. Sanadze hopes the space will elevate voices that don’t often get airtime in Australia’s creative industry, including her own.

“It's not your typical commercial gallery. It's a place that is so badly needed in the broader art world. It’s a place for safety for artists. We’re going to be exhibiting artists who have been cancelled for political reasons, including Jewish and Israeli artists predominately, but also Chinese, Iranian, Korean, Russian and other artists,” Sanadze told The Jewish Independent.

“I’m interested in people who are brave enough to stand up by themselves because they believe in something. Often, they suffer a lot – some pay with their lives, some with their careers. Showcasing these artists is what’s so different about the work our gallery is doing.”

While Goldstone doesn’t represent artists, it does offer exhibitions, educational programs, residencies and publishing opportunities. For Jewish artists working in Australia’s creative industry post October 7, such a platform is sorely needed.

"It’s terrifying in the art world... Lots of Jewish artists are cancelling their shows because they don’t want to be on the radar."

Nina Sanadze

In response to the Centre of Jewish Artists (COJA)’s cultural safety survey – undertaken by a large and diverse cohort of Jewish artists with varying political, religious and cultural perspectives – 90% reported feeling unsupported by their workplaces; over 80% had left or were considering leaving creative projects because of the behaviours of their peers; and over 50% had been the direct recipient of antisemitic comments or behaviours by a colleague.

Such an experience is highlighted by the recent actions of Creative Australia, the main funding body for the Australian arts community. It was responsible for initially selecting Khaled Sabsabi, whose art has been criticised for glorifying Hezbollah, to represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale; and has financially supported Matt Chun, an orchestrator of the doxing campaign with a prominent history of anti-Zionist advocacy.

“My experience is that the infrastructure – galleries, grants, residencies, museums – are no longer available to many Jewish creatives,” Sanadze continued.

“The problem is a pattern of pressure from those in high-standing positions – artists, curators, academics – making a statement against genocide and forcing the Jewish creative community to either agree or lose their career or funding.

“It’s terrifying in the art world. It’s a climate of fear. You have to fit their ideals, which is a lot of pressure, particularly if you’re Jewish and you’re not loudly demonstrating that you are a ‘good Jew’. Lots of Jewish artists are cancelling their shows because they don’t want to be on the radar.”

Sanadze expects Goldstone Gallery will face some hostility but is adamant that she will not be cowed into silence.

“We’re in Collingwood, so it’s not as comfortable as being in Caulfield, but we’re determined not to get chased out into only operating in the Jewish community. We want to do art where everybody does art and continue telling our stories,” Sanadze concluded.

RELATED STORY

These people don’t believe in censoring art…unless it’s Israeli (TJI)

You might also like
  • Rachel Moshel: Creating a space for Jewish art and joy
    Gideon Cohen
  • Spotlight: Gideon Heine
    Doron Chester
  • 100 Jewish noses, including mine
    Clara Shapiro
logomark.67a07ee3
We believe in the free flow of information

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, by using our Creative Commons licence

You might also like

    ANNIKA WELLS PRESSER
    Israel Hamas WarNewsAustralia

    No action to stop Hezbollah ally beaming antisemitic and anti-Israel content into Australia

    Michael Visontay
    Apple & rotten core Rosh hashanah
    EditorialAustralia

    Facing a new year with the knowledge life can be better

    The Jewish Independent
    funding handouts
    NewsAustralia

    Who will get the money from the Cranbourne windfall?

    Gideon Cohen

About the author

Ruby Kraner-Tucci

Ruby Kraner-Tucci

Assistant Editor

Ruby Kraner-Tucci is a journalist and TJI's assistant editor. Her writing has appeared in The Age, Australian Jewish News, Time Out and Broadsheet, among others. Ruby was awarded Multicultural NSW’s Best Report in Multicultural Media 2025 and has been named a Top 36 Under 36 Jewish Changemaker by B'nai B'rith.

More from the author

FeatureAustralia

‘True essence of being an ally’: The non-Jews choosing to work in the Jewish community

InterviewAustralia

Elliot Szafran: food that feels like a hug from Zaide

NewsAustralia

Antisemitic incidents down from peak but still triple pre-Gaza war

FeatureArts & Culture

Bringing Terezin music to life 

Comments1

  • Avatar of stephen lenn

    stephen lenn26 February at 03:42 am

    Nina ,
    Hopefully the light that shines from your need to be courageous will one day spread to the dark souls of the cowards that shame themselves.
    Best Wishes.