%20x%20135(H)%20px-03Rc-72dpi%20(2).jpg)
Australia Drops Venice Biennale Artist and Curator
By ANNETTE MEIER
Portrait of (left) KHALED SABSABI and (right) MICHAEL DAGOSTINO. Photo by Anna Kucera. Courtesy Creative Australia.
In an abrupt turn of events, Australia has decided to drop Khaled Sabsabi as its national representative at the 2026 Venice Biennale, following a scathing article in The Australian newspaper about the Lebanese-born artist’s early work depicting a Hezbollah leader. Michael Dagostino, a longtime supporter of Sabsabi’s, has also been axed as the project’s curator. The announcement comes just a week after Creative Australia—the country’s official arts council—selected the pair for the upcoming Venice Biennale.
Among the works criticized in the article is Sabsabi’s installation You (2007), featuring Hassan Nasrallah—the secretary-general of the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last year—as well as Thank You Very Much (2006), which shows footage of the 9/11 attacks and a press conference with then-US president George W. Bush.
The Australian questioned Sabsabi’s political intentions in portraying the late Hezbollah chief, referencing the artist’s boycott of the 2022 Sydney Festival over a funding agreement with the Israeli embassy. Explaining his withdrawal from the event, Sabsabi had stated that his art is “tied by blood to Palestine, the Palestinian cause, [their] right to self-determination, and their right to return to their lands.”
Further concerns about the government’s artist selection were raised by Australian Liberal senator Claire Chandler, who described Sabsabi’s works as “promoting” Osama bin Laden.
In a statement issued on February 13, the board of Creative Australia described the decision to drop Sabsabi and Dagostino as “unanimous,” as “a prolonged and divisive debate about the 2026 selection outcome poses an unacceptable risk to public support for Australia’s artistic community and could undermine our goal of bringing Australians together through art and creativity.” The board added that it will review the selection process.
Responding to the news of their expulsion, Sabsabi and Dagostino told Hyperallergic: “We are extremely hurt and disappointed in Creative Australia board’s decision to rescind our appointment to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale. We intended to present a transformational work . . . that would unite all audiences in an open and safe shared space. . . . Art should not be censored as artists reflect the times they live in.” The duo maintained that they are committed to presenting their work on an international platform and will “seek community support to make this happen.”
As the fiasco continues to unfold, several prominent Australian art professionals have stepped down from senior positions in support of Sabsabi and Dagostino. While acclaimed painter and sculptor Lindy Lee left the Creative Australia board, philanthropist Simon Mordant resigned as a biennale ambassador and withdrew his financial pledge to support the country’s participation. Speaking with Sydney Morning Herald, he described the duo’s dismissal as “a very dark day for Australia and for the Australian arts community,” adding that “I can only assume it was the result of political guidance or direction.”
Annette Meier is an editorial assistant at ArtAsiaPacific.
