Andy Garvey, Moktar & Sleep D formally cut ties with Vivid in act of Pro-Palestinian solidarity
With the support of their venue, Carriageworks, the artists are removing all reference to Vivid from their shows across the next two weekends.
Andy Garvey (Pure Space), Moktar, Sleep D (Butter Sessions) and a series of artists playing at their Carriageworks shows have announced that they “have made the decision to formally cut ties with Vivid Sydney and its partner, Airbnb.”
The artists, who have shows at the Gadigal Land/Sydney venue over the next two weekends, announced the move in a collaborative post shared across their Instagram accounts yesterday evening.
This decision comes as a growing number of artists, promoters, and other creatives across the Vivid lineup call for the festival to remove Airbnb as a partner, mirroring global pressure on brands like Sonár, Field Day (London), and Boiler Room.
“Despite the immense challenges we face as artists and navigating unstable work, few opportunities and systemic pressures, WE cannot allow our work to be used to legitimise or sanitise unethical corporate relationships,” the statement reads.
Andy Garvey, Moktar and Sleep D are joined in their solidarity by Anusha, Ben Fester, Wax’o Paradiso and Wings of D’sire.
In similar situations globally, artists joining together to place pressure on festivals over their ownership or partnerships have largely seen shows being cancelled as a result of the boycott decision, or they have continued to go ahead with vocal pressure.
Read: More than 70 artists call on Sónar to distance itself from KKR’s “complicit investments”
In this instance, however, the shows organised by Pure Space x Butter Sessions and Moktar will go ahead while boycotting Vivid and Airbnb.
This outcome, as the organisers say, was in large part due to their venue. Carriageworks, has “worked closely and respectfully with us to honour our vision and political stance,” they shared. In practice, this will mean that the events’ independence from Vivid and Airbnb is “reflected transparently across all ticketing platforms and promotional material.”
As for the goal these artists hope for, they say it’s “simple and justified: listen to the community and act responsibly.”
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The statement was made alongside the local activist group Stop the War on Palestine, which is responsible for organising an open letter signed by many artists that calls for Vivid to drop Airbnb as a partner. This initiative was initially inspired by the boycott of Vivid by local artists Rydeen, BAYANG (Tha Bushranger), and Sevy in early April.
Other events and artists have also taken action, including the Mulubinba/Newcastle-born label Steel City Dance Discs’ event at Oxford Art Factory, which is no longer affiliated with Vivid.
Read: Artists & promoters sign open letter urging Vivid to drop Airbnb amid growing calls for boycott
At the time of writing, over 1,300 signatures have been added to an online petition calling for the same, likening Airbnb’s involvement to Vivid “lighting up the Opera House with apartheid”, which also inspired a rally at Queens Square last Friday where attendees marched through the city as Vivid’s lights turned on for the weekend.
Mixmag ANZ reached out to both Vivid and Destination NSW, the owners of Vivid, with the following questions:
1. Do you understand the concerns of the artists and promoters taking this stance?
2. Will measures be taken to address growing calls to boycott Vivid over Airbnb?
3. Has there been any communication between Vivid and promoters/artists over this issue?
4. Will these concerns influence Vivid's partnerships in the future?
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A spokesperson for Vivid Sydney shared the following:
We understand the depth of feeling around events in the Middle East. The NSW Government does not support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which targets businesses based on nationality, race or religion. NSW is a proudly multicultural state, and we will always work to support community harmony, inclusion and mutual respect.
We respect the right of individuals and groups to express their views and to make decisions about participation. Vivid Sydney is in close contact with venues and program partners to ensure participating artists are supported to present their work in ways that align with their individual choices.
Vivid Sydney works with a wide range of partners to deliver a successful 23-day event that benefits the NSW community including local artists and the visitor economy.
Airbnb is Vivid Sydney’s Community Partner and supports the festival’s Volunteer Program. This partnership enables us to engage more than 900 volunteers across the Vivid Sydney footprint - welcoming visitors, assisting with wayfinding and helping create a safe and enjoyable experience for all attendees.
Vivid Sydney is a platform that celebrates creativity, culture and innovation. Each year, we work with hundreds of artists, creatives, organisations and venues to deliver a diverse, inclusive and globally recognised program that reflects the broad spectrum of our community.
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Vivid is set to finish on Saturday, June 14, now around halfway through its programming.
It remains to be seen whether these growing concerns and actions will influence Vivid’s partnership with Airbnb, or any partnership into the future.
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Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ’s Managing Editor, find him on Instagram.
