Published: 14 January 2022
Last updated: 4 March 2024
David Kirk: ‘We have put artists in a very difficult position; we're very sorry about that’; says no specific consideration given to Israeli embassy funding: ‘we missed it’
THE CHAIR OF the Sydney Festival, David Kirk, has offered a mea culpa over the board’s failure to specifically consider the Israeli embassy funding arrangement in advance, and said the board should have addressed the impact of the boycott call on artists more publicly.
“In hindsight, we have put artists in a very difficult position, many have been pressurised to withdraw and we're very sorry about that, Kirk said in an interview on the ABC’s Radio National yesterday.
“We never wanted to do that, and don’t want to do it again.”
Despite the fallout, Kirk insisted there were no divisions within the board over the funding. “The board came to a considered position that we are keeping the funding.”
The boycott call by local pro-Palestinian groups aligned with the BDS movement, which targeted the festival over its acceptance of sponsorship by the embassy, has gained international prominence.
It has also sparked responses on both sides from high-profile artists in Australia and overseas, with arguments raging about the impact and legitimacy of cultural boycotts as a tool of nonviolent protest.
In hindsight, we have put artists in a very difficult position, many have been pressurised to withdraw and we're very sorry about that.
Kirk conceded that responsibility for pursuing the sponsorship with the Israeli embassy to help fund the production of Decadance by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin lay with the board.
When asked why it did not give special consideration to the $20,000 sponsorship in advance, Kirk said “I guess we just missed it. We have to offer a mea culpa.”
