On February 13, the Australian government’s peak arts body, Creative Australia, rescinded an invitation to artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino to represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The board justified its “unanimous” decision in a statement saying “the selection [of Sabsabi] poses an unacceptable risk to public support for Australia’s artistic community.”
The decision to axe the artist followed an unfavorable article in the Australian linking his past work with alleged antisemitism at Creative Australia. The article singled out Sabsabi for boycotting the 2022 Sydney Festival after organizers accepted AU$20,000 from the Israeli government. The Australian also admonished Adrian Collette, chief executive of Creative Australia, for “the antisemitic rot seeming to pervade his organization,” citing a staff member’s private social media post supporting “intifada,” a word synonymous with Palestinian resistance.
Later that day, conservative senator Claire Chandler disingenuously claimed that Sabsabi “produced artwork promoting Osama Bin Laden” and 9/11. In question time, Chandler asked the Australian Labor Party (ALP) foreign minister, Penny Wong, “Why is the government funding an overseas trip for Mr Sabsabi who has featured dead Hezbollah leader Nasrallah in his artworks?” Flustered, Wong promised to get answers.
Chandler’s accusations betray an unwillingness to critically engage with art. While Sabsabi’s work You (2007) features Hassan Nasrallah, it is not so easily categorized as an endorsement of Hezbollah. But in an apparent bid to avoid controversy, especially bad-faith charges of antisemitism, Creative Australia dumped the artist in a snap meeting.
The case against Sabsabi pivots…
Auteur: Anastasia Murney
