Indiana University cancels scholarship for Palestinian painter Samia Halabi – ARTnews.com

Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

Indiana University's Eskenazi Museum of Art has reportedly canceled a professional study for Samia Halabi, a Palestinian artist known for her abstract paintings.

Halabi, currently the subject of a major retrospective in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, was due to open his 35-work show in February. But, speaking HypersensitivityMadison Gordon, a board member of the artist's foundation, said Indiana University decided not to open the show as planned because of „safety concerns.”

Representative of Indiana University said Hypersensitivity „Academic leaders and campus officials canceled the exhibit due to concerns about guaranteeing its integrity for its duration.”

Halaby did not immediately respond to a request for comment submitted by Gordon. On Instagram, Halaby posted a portrait of himself, which will appear in the exhibit's catalog, writing, „We hope they reverse their decision.”

She urged her followers to sign A petition The program's restructuring calls the cancellation an attempt by the school to „distance itself from the cause of Palestinian independence.” More than 1,700 people have signed the petition.

Plans appear to be still active for the show, which will travel this summer to the Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, where Hallaby holds a master's degree in painting. (Halabi also earned an MFA from Indiana University.) The show is slated to open in June at Broad, which is currently listing the show on its website.

For more than five decades, Halaby has been creating abstractions filled with bursts of color; Some are done with the help of computers. His achievements extend beyond painting. 2001.

On social media, Halaby has often been vocal in support of Palestine, especially in the past few months. A post from October received several hundred likes calling for the liberation of the „Gaza concentration camp.” Another from last week was, „Focus on International Implications of Resistance. Consolidate Solidarity.”

News of the cancellation of Halaby's program at Indiana University became public because the school had already faced scrutiny. Wednesday, the Herald-Times University informed Suspended Professor Abdulkader Chinno, a former IDF soldier who has publicly criticized Israel and helped organize a Palestinian student union event. The university's vice-chancellor reportedly said Chinno did not follow standard procedures when he helped organize the event. Chinno said Herald-Times The school's suspension of him was part of an effort to „chill free speech on academic freedom and Palestinian human rights.”