There are now calls for an urgent independent inquiry as Australia’s art community grapples with the controversial decision to rescind the selection of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino for the 2026 Venice Biennale.
The sudden decision by Creative Australia — just six days after the selection was first announced — followed inquiries in parliament over Sabsabi’s previous work, including a 2006 video Thank You Very Much which depicts the 9/11 attacks and a 2007 work that features former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
While Creative Australia explained the “unanimous” decision was intended to protect public support for Australian arts, the move has been widely criticised as an attack on artistic expression.
In a statement on Monday, Greens spokesperson for the Arts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young argued it sets a dangerous precedent for the freedom of artists in Australia.
“Artistic expression must be free from political interference and intimidation. To allow this censorship of artistic thought and expression is to allow an attack on the very values of freedom and peace that are the lifeblood of our democracy,” she stated.
“To award the submission to two of Australia’s great creative minds, only to revoke it six days later after political interference sets a dangerous precedent, not just in the art world but for all of our public institutions.”
Describing it as nothing short of an “international arts embarrassment” for the country, Hanson-Young called for a “full and frank inquiry” into how the decision was made, who was involved, and how much it cost the Australian taxpayer.
The Senator has vowed to highlight the issue at the upcoming Senate Estimates, scheduled for Tuesday, 25 February.
“Senate Estimates can’t come soon enough. The agency has failed to stand with the arts community and the public deserves to know the full story,” she said.
Creative Australia’s decision has also triggered a wave of resignations from its board, with member Lindy Lee describing the meeting to rescind the selection as “fraught and heartbreaking”.
“Nobody except those involved can ever know how fraught and heartbreaking that meeting was. In no direction was there anywhere to breathe. I am bound by confidentiality, so I cannot speak on these things,” Lee wrote in a statement on Sunday.
“I came away deeply conflicted and realised that I had to resign. I could not live with the level of violation I felt against one of my core values – that the artist’s voice must never be silenced.”
Board member Lee stepped down from the agency on Friday, February 14. (Image source: National Gallery of Australia / Instagram)
As reported by The Guardian, numerous other individuals have also stepped away from Creative Australia, including Mikala Tai, who led the agency’s visual arts department for over four years; program manager Tahmina Maskinyar; and investment banker Simon Mordant, who resigned from his position as an international ambassador for the 2026 event.
In an open letter, the five other shortlisted artists for the Venice Biennale pavilion have highlighted the importance of maintaining artistic independence.
They called for the reinstatement of Sabsabi and Dagostino, stating the selection was the result of a “rigorous and professionally independent open-call process.”
“We believe that revoking support for the current Australian artist and curator representatives for the Venice Biennale 2026 is antithetical to the goodwill and hard-fought artistic independence, freedom of speech, and moral courage that is at the core of arts in Australia, which plays a crucial role in our thriving and democratic nation,” they wrote in a statement on Friday.
Creative Australia has announced that it intends to review the selection process for the 2026 Venice Biennale.
But as the debate rages on, the future of Australia’s representation at the Venice Biennale still remains uncertain.
Lead image: Recep Sakar/Getty Images and Anna Kucera / Creative Australia
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