With accusations of censorship and racism from its own judges, it's perhaps not surprising Creative Australia has postponed the Asia Pacific Arts Awards amid the Venice Biennale furore.
The awards, run by the nation's principal arts funding body, were to have been held on Monday at Arts Centre Melbourne as part of the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts (Asia TOPA) festival.
The judging panel included Lebanese-born Khaled Sabsabi, the artist whose commission for the Biennale was dramatically withdrawn earlier in February.
In an initial response to the about-face by Creative Australia, he and curator Michael Dagostino issued a statement expressing their hurt and disappointment and that art should not be censored.
The other judges and 30 finalists for the awards include artists and organisations that have spoken in support of the dumped arts duo.
One of those judges is Melbourne-based writer Jinghua Qian, who argues the interpretation of Sabsabi's early artworks that sparked the Biennale controversy was racist.
Sabsabi's 2007 video artwork titled You depicts the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, while the 2006 work Thank You Very Much features a depiction of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
These artworks were raised in parliamentary question time on February 13 and within hours, the Creative Australia board had rescinded Sabsabi and Dagostino's selection.
Qian argues the interpretation of these videos, that equates making art about these subjects with an expression of support, is based on racist assumptions.
"It assumes that people of colour are incapable of irony, of metaphor, or of ambiguity," they told AAP.
"This would not be considered contentious if it were made by a white artist about a white politician."
Creative Australia has said it revoked Sabsabi and Dagostino's commission to avoid a prolonged and divisive debate that would pose an unacceptable risk to public support for Australia's artists.
But Qian argues this decision was also discriminatory.
"It's a huge violation. It's racist. It's censorship," they said.
The legislation that established Creative Australia in 2023 requires it to support arts that reflect the diversity of Australia, and to uphold and promote freedom of expression.
Asked at a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday whether racism was a factor in the revocation, Creative Australia chief executive Adrian Collette repeatedly denied this was the case.
"I would absolutely deny that there was any racism in our decision to rescind that," he said.
"Criticise us for whatever you like, but that is not the culture of our organisation."
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Creative Australia said the Asia Pacific Arts Awards had been postponed after careful consideration.
"...this decision has been made to support the wellbeing of all involved, as we feel it is important to take a pause during this time," it said.
Appointed as one of 17 expert industry advisors to judge entries in six award categories, Qian is no stranger to debates about race and free speech.
In early 2024, they were one of several writers engaged to present a workshop at the State Library Victoria that was abruptly called off - Qian believes due to their pro-Palestine views.
The award finalists also include western Sydney artists and organisations such as the Campbelltown Arts Centre, where Dagostino was a long-time director until 2023.
He and Sabsabi have asked for a public apology, and an explanation of how Creative Australia decided the proposed Venice artwork would have caused a prolonged and divisive debate.
Arts Centre Melbourne has declined to comment.
Senator Claire Chandler, who initially queried the artworks in parliament, has also been contacted for comment.
