In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with David Velasco, the former editor-in-chief of the art magazine Artforum. Ahmed and David discuss David's decision in October 2023 to publish a letter from cultural workers in support of Palestinian liberation and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and in opposition to violence against all civilians, regardless of identity. David was fired following the publication of that letter. Ahmed and David discuss the concept of solidarity in the art world, the role of money in culture, and how they understand voluntary complicity and capitulation in the early stages of genocide.
David Velasco is an American writer and editor. He was the editor-in-chief of the art magazine Artforum from 2017 to 2023. He is the editor of Modern Dance, a 2017 series of books on contemporary choreographers published by the Museum of Modern Art, New York. In December 2025, he published an essay in Equator entitled "How Gaza Broke the Art World" about being fired from Artforum in the wake of October 7th.
Ahmed Moor is a Palestinian-American writer born in Gaza and a Fellow at FMEP. He is an advisory board member of the US Campaign for Palestinian rights, co-editor of After Zionism (Saqi Books) and is currently writing a book about Palestine. He also currently serves on the board of the Independence Media Foundation. His work has been published in The Guardian, The London Review of Books, The Nation, and elsewhere. He earned a BA at the University of Pennsylvania and an MPP at Harvard University. You can follow Ahmed on Substack at: https://ahmedmoor.substack.com.
Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.