The Whitney Museum of American Art recently canceled a performance by participants in its Independent Study Program (ISP) titled “No Aesthetics Outside My Freedom: Mourning, Militancy, and Performance.” The performance, set to take place on May 14 as part of the exhibition “a grammar of attention,” included texts by Natalie Diaz, Christina Sharpe, and Brandon Shimoda and was to be performed by artists Fadl Fakhouri, Noel Maghathe, and Fargo Tbakhi. Three days before the scheduled presentation, ISP associate director Sara Nadal-Melsió was informed that the Whitney had canceled the performance. The decision came after the discovery of a video showing Tbakhi introducing the same work in fall 2024 during an event organized by the Poetry Project and Jewish Currents.
In the video, Tbakhi outlined beliefs that audience members needed to adhere to if they wished to watch the performance, telling those who supported Israel or America, encouraged people to vote, or felt it was important for the artists to condemn violence to leave. The Whitney Museum cited Tbakhi’s introduction as conflicting with its zero-tolerance policy for harassment or discriminatory behavior. The museum criticized Tbakhi for valorizing specific acts and imagery of violence and stated that it does not find it acceptable to single out community members based on their belief systems and ask them to leave an exhibition or performance.
whitney’s decision to cancel performance
“Canceling ‘No Aesthetic Outside My Freedom’ was not a decision the museum took lightly, but it was clear and necessary,” explained the museum. “This decision was not about the topics discussed but because their presentation violated the standards agreed to by all members of our community, including ISP participants.”
Nadal-Melsió clarified that the introduction was not part of the performance and indicated that her attempts to engage museum management in a dialogue with the event’s curators were consistently rebuffed.
The exhibition’s curators released a statement condemning the museum’s actions, stating that their capstone projects had undergone an intense level of scrutiny from the senior administration of the museum. Tbakhi, Fakhouri, and Maghathe expressed their support for the original introduction, stating, “The only purpose of continuing to make art in this moment is to galvanize audiences towards acting to stop the machinery of genocide. If this cancellation does that, then we have succeeded.”
The cancellation of the performance has sparked a debate about censorship, artistic expression, and the role of cultural institutions in addressing sensitive political issues.
The incident highlights the challenges faced by museums when navigating the complex intersection of art, politics, and public discourse.
