Several artists shortlisted to represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale have jointly written to Creative Australia, calling on it to reconsider its decision to withdraw Lebanese-Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi's participation. Sabsabi and his collaborator, Michael Dagostino, had previously been selected for the prestigious international art festival, but their selection was revoked last Thursday.
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03-04, 2025This change occurred after criticisms of Sabsabi's past artwork were raised in Federal Parliament yesterday. A number of artists, including James Nguyen, Hayley Millar Baker, Jenna Mayilema Lee, as well as curators Tony Albert and Tamsin Hong, signed a statement on Friday expressing their position on the matter.
The statement reads: "We ask that the independent and industry-recognised selection of Khaled Sabsabi (artist) and Michael Dagostino (curator) be reinstated in time for the 61st Venice Biennale." The statement further emphasizes: "We believe that rescinding support for the current Australian artist and curator representation at the 2026 Venice Biennale flies in the face of the core of the Australian art world: goodwill, hard-won artistic independence, freedom of expression, and moral courage."
Responding to the decision on social media, Sabsabi stated that he and Dagostino were "deeply hurt and disappointed by Creative Australia’s decision," and emphasized that "art should not be censored because artists reflect the times they are in." He added: "We intended to present a transformative work in Venice, an experience that would unite all audiences in an open and safe shared space. This reflects and builds on the work we have done over the past decades and will continue to be what we strive for in the future."
Creative Australia announced on February 13 that Lebanese-Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi would no longer represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The board, composed of Chair Robert Morgan, as well as Wesley Enoch, Larissa Behrendt, and Lindy Lee, among other prominent Australian arts leaders, unanimously voted to withdraw the representation of Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino.
In a statement, the board wrote: "Creative Australia is an advocate for freedom of artistic expression, not an arbiter of artistic interpretation." The statement continued: "However, the board has determined that the protracted and divisive debate regarding the 2026 selection poses an unacceptable risk to public support for the Australian arts sector and may undermine our goal of uniting Australians through art and creativity." The board's initial selection was announced on Friday, February 7.
Sabsabi has a 35-year artistic career, creating works in various forms including video, mixed media, and installation art, and has participated in over 90 solo and group exhibitions in Australia and around the world, including the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, the Biennale of Sydney, the Shanghai Biennale, and the Marrakech Biennale. His career began in the hip-hop community of Western Sydney, rapping under the name Peacefender, before transitioning to visual arts in the 90s.
In its statement, Creative Australia also committed to reviewing the selection process for the Venice Biennale. Sabsabi and Dagostino were selected based on the recommendation of a visual arts expert panel consisting of Anthony Gardner, Dunja Rmandić, Elaine Chia, Mariko Smith, and Wassan Al-Khudhairi.
The reason for Sabsabi's disqualification from the Venice Biennale is that during the Question Time on February 13, parliamentarians discussed Sabsabi's earlier works. These works included a 2007 video installation depicting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and a 2006 work depicting the September 11 attacks.
Senator Claire Chandler questioned Foreign Minister Penny Wong: "Why is the Albanese government allowing someone who has featured a leader of a terrorist organization in his artwork to represent Australia on the international stage at the Venice Biennale?" Penny Wong replied that she was not aware of the details of Sabsabi's appointment and past artwork until then: "I agree with you that any glorification of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah is inappropriate, I have expressed those views previously, and I will certainly obtain further information for you."
When Sabsabi's selection was announced last week, he said it was impossible for Middle Eastern artists to be unaffected by conflicts in the Middle East. "We have thick skin, but we also get hurt. How can you not be affected when you have family, when you have friends in Lebanon?" He said, "As a person, as a Lebanese person, as an Arab person, as a Muslim, as an Australian, what's happening is inhumane and unacceptable. This violence and destruction cannot continue. We need a pathway forward where we can all coexist and respect the rights of the Palestinian people and their rights to return to their homes and their culture."
