Activists disrupted the opening of Israeli artist Michal Rovner’s exhibition Pragim https://www.pacegallery.com/artists/michal-rovner/ at Pace Gallery on March 7. Demonstrators accused the artist of ignoring the reality of Palestinians and decrying her use of poppies, a flower that carries special significance in Palestine. The activists led a silent performance and dispersed fabric petals inscribed with the names of Gazans killed by Israeli bombardments.
The performance began around 6:35pm at Pace’s 540 West 25th Street location and was immediately met with resistance from security guards, who began removing the demonstrators’ red veils and asking them to leave while audiences expressed mixed reactions.
According to Hyperallergic’s news, in addition to calling out Rovner’s “cultural appropriation” of the poppy flower, prominent fixtures in the artist’s work on display and the meaning behind the show’s title pragim (“poppies” in Hebrew), the activists scrutinized Rovner’s video installation “Signaling” (2023). The work, which features rows of waving individuals referencing the more than 100 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, was publicly displayed in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as well as Times Square in New York earlier this year.
Pace staff escorted the demonstrators and attendees out of the gallery shortly after the action began and temporarily stopped allowing new visitors inside until 7 pm. A spokesperson for Pace Gallery said, “Our mission is guided first and foremost by our artists. Our role is to provide a platform for their ideas, to present their vantage points, and to amplify their work to our audiences.” Rovner declined to comment, according to Hyperallergic.
Outside, the activists continued to display a banner that read “Poppies Are Indigenous to Palestine / Pace Artwashes Occupation While ‘Israel’ Conducts Genocide” and hand out flyers to exhibition visitors.
