Andy Garvey, Moktar, and Sleep D are among several acts that have opted out of this years Vivid Sydney program, citing the events sponsorship by the home rental platform Airbnb.

The group of artists, which also includes Waxo Paradiso, Anusha, Ben Fester, D-grade, and Wingnut, was scheduled to perform at Carriageworks as part of Vivid, which commenced on June 5 and will continue until June 14.

In a statement shared on the Instagram page of Andy Garveys Pure Space imprint on June 4, the artists expressed: “We, the artists behind this year’s Carriageworks programs, have made the decision to formally cut ties with Vivid Sydney and its partner, Airbnb.”

“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 organizations for displacing Palestinians and entrenching apartheid conditions.”

Airbnb has long been targeted by the Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS) movement due to its operations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

In 2018, Airbnb announced that it would remove property listings in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank; however, it later reversed this 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 legitimize or sanitize unethical corporate relationships,” the statement adds.

The statement further explains that the group has worked “closely” with the Carriageworks venue to ensure that the planned shows proceed separately from the Vivid program: “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.