A 15-metre-wide Palestinian flag has been projected on to the National Gallery of Australia’s facade tonight to protest the gallery covering up Palestinian flags in an artwork.

Three weeks ago, a tapestry made of protest material and international flags sewn together, had pieces of white cloth stuck over the Palestinian flags because the NGA deemed it too dangerous to display. It was considered a security risk for vandalism and protest.

However, this only triggered a protest and now tonight’s activism by Bowral artist Mary Lou Pavlovic, who projected an image of the Palestinian flag – titled “Right of Return” – on to the gallery’s exterior.

The artist said the light projection was intended to “show support for the Palestinian community living in Australia and to protest censorship by government institutions charged with caring for art in Australia”.

“In February this year, the NGA covered over the Palestinian flag in a tapestry that forms part of an exhibition by the Pacific indigenous art collective SaVAge K’lub,” Ms Pavlovic said. “This action by the NGA forms part of a larger censorship attempt to censor Australian artists and academics over horrific events in the Middle East.”

In a media statement, Ms Pavlovic said the NGA’s recent covering up of art was an “offensive, racist action” and “insulting to the Australian Palestinian community”.

“As an Australian artist, I will not accept censorship by our art institutions, universities and pressure also from political parties to remain silent about the genocide endured by Palestinian people. It is high time we were honest about our responsibility as fellow humans to act with conscience,” Ms Pavlovic said.  

Ms Pavlovic’s light projection artwork takes place just days after Canberra’s annual Enlighten Festival in the Parliamentary Triangle wrapped up.

The NGA explained last month’s tapestry alteration in a statement: “Consideration was given to past protest activity and vandalism at the National Gallery, the volatility of the environment and reported violence, vandalism and threats in Canberra, and across Australia at the time.”

The large tapestry is part of the now-finished Te Paepae Aora’i – Where the Gods Cannot be Fooled exhibition, a group show by Pacific Indigenous art collective SaVĀge K’lub. It features a number of flags sewn together, including the Aboriginal flag and the words “justice now”, the Torres Strait Islander flag, the West Papua flag, along with other Pacific peoples’ symbols, insignia and social justice slogans.