Key Points
- Artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino were selected to represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale.
- Government arts funding body Creative Australia has since rescinded the duo’s appointment.
- It comes after it was publicised that Sabsabi’s early work includes images of Hassan Nasrallah and the 9/11 attacks.
The Creative Australia board had made a unanimous decision to rescind the pair’s appointment, the funding body said in an announcement made late on Thursday night.
Visual artist Khaled Sabsabi’s work displayed at a gallery in Sydney. Source: AAP / Creative Australia
“Creative Australia is an advocate for freedom of artistic expression and is not an adjudicator on the interpretation of art,” it said in a statement.
Creative Australia also said it would review the selection process for the Venice Biennale.
Duo respond to Creative Australia decision
“Art should not be censored as artists reflect the times they live in,” they continued.
“We believe in the vision of artists for an inclusive future that can bring us together to communicate and progress our shared humanity. We also believe that, despite this decision, the Australian art world will not dim and or be silent.”
Shortlisted artists share support for Sabsabi and Dagostino
They asked that Sabsabi and Dagostino’s appointment be reinstated in time for next year’s Venice Biennale.
Creative Australia’s announcement came after Liberal senator Claire Chandler questioned why the Albanese government was allowing Sabsabi “to represent Australia on the international stage”.