Yesterday, Khaled Sabsabi was dropped as Australia’s representative at the Venice Biennale, a move that has generated widespread controversy and multiple resignations at Creative Australia, the organization that facilitates the Australian Pavilion.
Sabsabi was dropped alongside his curator, Michael Dagostino, after the Australian newspaper highlighted a past work by the Lebanese-born artist that featured the likeness of a Hezbollah leader. The Australian article claimed that choosing Sabsabi to represent Australia was a “creative form of racism.”
After being dropped by Creative Australia, Sabsabi and Dagostino issued a joint statement on social media in which they appeared to compare the situation to censorship. They wrote, “Art should not be censored as artists reflect the times they live in. 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 or be silent.”
In addition to commissioning the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Creative Australia is one of the largest funding bodies in the art world, awarding grant money to organizations such as the Biennale of Sydney, Australia’s most important recurring art shows, where Sabsabi is a board member.
An outcry quickly swelled on social media and in the ranks of Creative Australia, which has reportedly seen two resignations: Mikala Tai, who led the organization’s visual arts operations, and Tahmina Maskinyar, a program manager. The Guardian first reported news of the resignations on Friday.
The Guardian also reported that Simon Mordant, an investment banker who has appeared on ARTnews’s Top 200 Collectors list, will no longer serve as international ambassador for the Australian Pavilion. Mordant previously commissioned the pavilion before publicly stepping away from the exhibition in 2017, saying that it was no longer “in Australia or the artists’ best interest.”
Speaking to the Guardian, Mordant called the debacle surrounding Sabsabi “a very dark day for Australia and the arts.”
Artists quickly spoke out as well. On Instagram, the five artists who were shortlisted for the 2026 pavilion—Dhopiya Yunupiŋu, Hayley Millar Baker, James Nguyen, Jenna Mayilema Lee, and Mel O’Callaghan—posted an open letter in which they called for the reinstatement of Sabsabi’s pavilion.
“We believe that revoking support for the current Australian artist and curator representatives for 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,” the artists wrote.
International artists echoed their words. Palestinian artist Emily Jacir, a past Golden Lion winner at the Venice Biennale, wrote on Instagram, “Shame on Creative Australia.” Iranian photographer Hoda Afshar wrote, “This is fascism.”
Australian art spaces and funding bodies also condemned the decision. West Space, a Melbourne art gallery that has received Creative Australia funding, denounced the organization’s decision, writing in a statement, “We advocate for the integrity of the independent review process, and for Creative Australia to remain committed to supporting outstanding and diverse Australian art without fear. Our collective future is at stake. The long-term negative impact on contemporary practice and culture-making in this nation—and our international reputation—cannot be overstated.”
The National Association of Visual Arts also raised concern about how the decision might impact the Australian art scene more broadly, writing in a statement, “This intervention—driven by political pressure and misrepresentation—undermines the integrity of independent arms-length arts funding and threatens the essential role of artists in shaping critical dialogue and public discourse.”
