Post by Avant-Garde Lawyers (AGL)

Last week, Avant-Garde Lawyers (AGL) attended the conference "Confronting the Destruction of #Gaza: Art, Reception, and Commitments (Faire face à l’anéantissement de Gaza : créations, accueils, engagements)", hosted by Mucem - Musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée as part of Saison Méditerranée 2026. The conference focused on artistic creation and the destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza, the challenges of welcoming artists in emergency situations in France and broader questions of cultural solidarity with Palestine. For AGL, events like this, bringing together artists, researchers, lawyers, cultural institutions and CSOs, are essential for building networks of solidarity and support systems for artists at risk. For a year now, AGL has been supporting Palestinian artists who are still trapped in Gaza despite their admission into institutions in France and the merit of their artistic work, as all evacuations from Gaza to France remain blocked. AGL is grateful to partner with conference organiser Maan For the Artists of Gaza on this work and remains committed to supporting artists from Gaza seeking to continue their artistic practice in safety. We cordially thank all the speakers who contributed to this event including Francesca Albanese, Ahmad Ashour, Agnès b., Cirva, Raphaël Kempf, Khaled Jarada, Mohamed Abusal and others, as well as Palestinian poets Doha Al-Kahlout, Nour Elassy and Yousef Alqedra who concluded the event with readings of texts by eighteen Palestinian poets, some still in Gaza. Cover Artwork Credits: Re-Lighthouse by Shareef Sarhan, a recreation of the monumental Lighthouse sculpture built in Gaza and destroyed at the start of the war in 2023. It will travel from #Marseille to other cities across France and Europe, with the hope of one day returning to the port of Gaza.