Andy Garvey, Moktar and Sleep D pull out of Vivid Sydney due to Airbnb partnership

Andy Garvey, Moktar and Sleep D are among a number of acts who have withdrawn from this year's Vivid Sydney programme, due to the annual event's sponsorship by home rental platform Airbnb.

The group of artists - which also includes Wax'o Paradiso, Anusha, Ben Fester, D-grade, Wingnut - had been due to perform at Carriageworks as part of Vivid, which started yesterday (June 5) and will run until June 14.

In a statement, posted to the Instagram page of Andy Garvey's Pure Space imprint on Wednesday (June 4), the group said: “We, the artists behind this year’s Carriageworks programs, have made the decision to formally cut ties with Vivid Sydney and its partner, Airbnb.”

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“Airbnb has a documented history of listing properties in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank,” the statement continues. “These settlements are considered a violation of international law under the Fourth Geneva Convention and have been widely condemned by the UN and human rights organisations for displacing Palestinians and entrenching apartheid conditions.”

Airbnb has long been on the list of targeted organisations by the Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS) movement due to its operation in Isreal and occupied Palestinian territories. 

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In 2018, Airbnb announced that it would remove property listings in illegal Isreali settlements in the West Bank, however it later reversed the decision and continues to allow rental properties from occupied land.

“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 adds.

The statement explains that the group have worked “closely” with the Carriageworks venue to ensure the planned shows go ahead separately from the Vivid programme: “In line with the broader community’s demand for ethical accountability in the arts, we are boycotting Airbnb and will continue to do so until Vivid Sydney and Destination NSW drop them as a sponsor.”

Read the full statement below.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter