Arts School in London Urged to Investigate Student Refusing to Sell Artwork to Zionists

The North Wing of the UCL Wilkins Building, home to the Slade School of Fine Art. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Slade School of Fine Art in London has come under fire after one of its students said she refuses to sell her artwork to Zionists.

On May 20, Betty Ogún posted on her Instagram Story: “I will never, ever support genocide. I will not sell to Z*onist collectors and I will continue to do what I can to support human rights, peace, and equal rights for all. Free Palestine.” The British charity UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) took a screenshot of the comment, which was also uploaded on Ogún’s Instagram page in a permanent post, but that has since been deleted.

Ogún exhibited her artwork at Slade’s 2024 BA/BFA degree show, which took place from May 17-23. She included a piece titled “River to Sea / Flower of Liberation,” which featured a textile in the shape of a flower that was designed in the colors of the pan-African and pan-Arab flags, Ogun explained in an Instagram post. The textile flower was green, red, black, and white, and was displayed on a chair during the degree show.

“Blooming flowers are often a symbol of hope, growth, regeneration, and resilience,” Ogun said, elaborating on her intention behind the creation. “These colors signify my transparent solidarity as an artist with the rights of those experiencing oppression and genocide in countries that are represented by these colors, ie Palestine, Sudan. The flower, in its composition, will remind you of a watermelon, which is the Palestinian symbol of resilience. When you come to my show and sit in the chair with this textile piece, you are facing Palestine.”

On May 21, UKLFI wrote a letter to Mary Evans, director of the Slade School of Fine Art, which is part of University College London (UCL). The British charity asked Slade and UCL to investigate Ogun’s discrimination against Zionist buyers, as well as Jews and Israelis, and to “discipline her in an appropriate manner.”

“We also request that you will introduce some instruction on these issues of equality and discrimination, so that your students will understand that discriminating against Jews and Zionists is a form of racism,” the letter stated.

UKLFI pointed out that Ogun’s comments and refusal to sell to Zionists is in breach of UCL’s policies on institutional racism and inclusion, and on religion and belief equality. It is also illegal to for her to discriminate against Zionist buyers according to Section 29 of the UK’s Equalities Act 2010 (also known as “the Act”), which prohibits a person supplying goods to the public or a section of the public from discriminating against persons with protected characteristics by not supplying them.

“If Ms. Ogun refuses to sell her work to Zionists, she will be in breach of the Act for discriminating against people believing in Zionism, which is a belief that the State of Israel has a right to exist,” UKLFI explained to Evans. “She will also be indirectly discriminating against Jewish people, since most Jewish people are Zionists, and indirectly discriminating against Israelis, since most Israelis are Zionists. Being Jewish, Israeli, or a Zionist are all ‘protected characteristics’ under the Act.”

The British charity additionally suggested that Slade seems to be lacking in its education, if its curriculum does not teach students the legal framework they would have to adhere to as self-employed artists. “Ms Ogun’s current stance would make it impossible for any gallery or agent to offer her work, without risking falling foul of the Equality Act,” the charity said.

The Slade School of Fine Art did not respond to The Algemeiner‘s request for comment about Ogún’s social media post.

UKFLI told The Algemeiner on Wednesday that four of Ogún’s photographs and paintings are being sold on the website of Saatchi Art, which describes itself as “the world’s leading online art gallery.” The gallery sells many artworks by Israeli artists, and is named after and owned by famed art collector Charles Saatchi, who was born in 1943 to a Jewish family in Iraq.